Beginning of the End
by rockyhorrorgirl
Summary: Helen and Nikola must face the consequences of their actions after 'Awakening'. Re-uploaded and upgraded. AU.
1. Chapter 1

_**For some reason, my last version of this disappeared off the site. I'll be reuploading it, of course, but I'm going to elaborate on it a lot more than before, so be prepared for a longer, more thrilling story! Perhaps with an actual plot this time too.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

Helen Magnus was many things. A close friend should you be trustworthy enough to earn her friendship, a highly intelligent scientist who had seen far too much in her long lifespan, or an enemy that could take you out before you could even apologize. The list went on, the numerous titles adding up as her life continued it's unnatural length. One of those particular titles had been crossed off the list quite some time ago, but now, it had suddenly added itself to the bottom as of ten seconds ago.

She pinched the bridge of her nose with one hand as she paced across the infirmary. She needed to think. How did this happen? Oh, she knew quite well how it had happened - she just couldn't believe she'd been stupid enough to allow it to occur. But it wasn't just her fault. Oh no, she wasn't taking the entire blame for it.

Sighing, shoulders slumping ever so slightly, she turned her attention back to the computer monitor as it displayed the results of her blood test. It was ninety-nine point nine percent accurate, and in Helen's scientific mind she knew that point one percent of an error made little difference. The computer wasn't lying; the data on screen marked her as positively pregnant.

With an irritated look, she erased all memory of the data and the screen went blank.

Fear and panic coiled in her belly like a twisted snake and settled there, unwilling to leave. She was too afraid, too worried that something would happen. Helen knew without a doubt she couldn't do it again. She loved children, yes, but raising another, living in fear that someone might happen to it like what had happened to Ashely . . . no, Helen wouldn't be able to handle the loss of another child.

Even before then, it was entirely possible she had enemies now that would use any child of hers against her (again) no matter how young. If she managed to carry full term, even, considering her first pregnancy had been high-risk. This one seemed even worse, considering the situation. Someone, like the Cabal, could see it reason to terminate her pregnancy during a fight or a mission (although it was unlikely she'd go on missions after a certain point). As a toddler, her child could be kidnapped and killed - the danger was there all around her and Helen couldn't handle it.

She curled her hands into fists to keep them from trembling the way they were. She needed to stop it. She'd done this last time, too - run through every possible bad situation and automatically think the worst about everything. All mothers did it, and Helen was no exception, save for this time, there was far more danger than she'd first realized. It made her just as sick as the morning sickness that had plagued her for the past week and a half had.

Really, she should have saw the symptoms earlier. After all, she'd done it before. The sudden exhaustion, the nausea, her swift changes in mood - she'd battled with them all, mostly since she'd got back from her latest mission. Whether her mind had tried to deny it or whether she just refused to be sick, Helen wasn't sure. But something had clicked in her mind that particular morning and she'd drawn her own blood during lunch, tested it, and the computer had spat the postive results back out at her.

Now, what to do?

There were several options, besides one: termination. Helen downright refused to do it. She'd been raised to believe all life was sacred, even if unplanned, and she absolutely put her foot down when it came to ridding herself of a life that couldn't even defend itself yet just because she hadn't planned it and she was scared as hell. She would carry to full term is possible, but what then?

Keep it? Being the global sanctuary network head, leader of the Old City sanctuary, and a mother all at once seemed overwhelming - she'd not had nearly as much work when Ashley had been that young, and by the time she had gained that heavy amount of work, Ashley had been old enough to take care of herself, or at least mostly could, with the occassional help of her old friend or Henry, who was practically her older brother. Helen had raised him, too.

Adoption seemed a more dangerous route, considering the genes of the baby. Abnormalcy was likely, and Helen didn't fancy hunting down her own child when it was old enough and was causing havok across the city.

For once, Helen had no plan, not even a clue on how to proceed.

Leaving the infirmary seemed to be a good step one, so she did. Out the door, Helen found her feet carried her toward the lift so she could head back up to the upper levels. Something to eat was starting to sound good the more she thought about it, if only she could find something that would stay down for more than ten minutes. It seemed like a better plan than locking herself in her office or in the library for the next six hours while she decided on a plan of action.

She found the kitchen was empty, much to her joy. As she searched through the pantry and fridge for sustence, she began to take inventory of who was where for the day, having momentarily been too distracted to even think about it before.

Will and Henry were in Henry's liar, as it had been dubbed, working on upgrades to the security system as well as filing the reports she had given them both yesterday evening. Kate was likely making her rounds with the Big Guy, checking on the residents. That left Nikola, who, to her knowledge, had locked himself away in his lab for the day much like she had planned to do with her office or library. So she practically had the sanctuary to herself - the boys wouldn't be out of their labs until dinnertime, at least.

Satisfied with a cup of ginger tea and the baby carrots she'd come across, Helen made her way leisurly up toward her office. Despite her near mental breakdown over being pregnant, she still had work to get done. Focusing on it, however, would be a task entirely on it's own.

Three reports in and she was already struggling to maintain a steady work pace. Sighing, Helen flung the next one away and sat her pen down. Her hands came up to rub her temples. If she was already this stressed out, how the hell was she going to handle the next several months, let alone years?

The door to her office swung open and her old friend came in, bearing a tray with another mug of tea and a plate of fruit, along with a plastic pill bottle she didn't quite recognize.

"Feeling better?" He asked and she nodded silently, reaching for a piece of fruit before her attention turned to the plastic pill bottle. A frown crossed her face - pre-natal vitamins. Her gaze flickered up to her friend.

"It sometimes astounds me on how much you're aware of." Helen said after a moment and he gave her a knowing grin.

"You should rest."

"If I wasn't so wired and didn't have so much work, believe me I would." She admitted quietly. It was possible for her to let Will do most of the work, but he already had the filing, plus whatever he was working on with Henry. She didn't want to overburden him with work.

"At least lay down on the couch to work?"

Helen gave a tired smile.

"Now that I can work with."

She gathered up her files and her laptop as Big Guy moved the tray over to the coffee table in front of the couch in her office. Helen kicked off her heels and sank into the cushions, setting aside her work momentarily to take one of the vitamins she'd been brought. Her friend gave her an approving smile that she returned before he left the room, leaving Helen to her work and her thoughts.

Her workoholic tendencies kicked in shortly after as she fought to get comfortable on the couch and soon all thoughts of children and fears were banished from her mind as the reports completely took over. Each individual report was filled out based on their recent missions and the creatures they had encountered or captured, as well as inventories, order forms, budgets, investor forms, and other various things related to the day to day life of the sanctuary. She had e-mails reminding her of a conference in London two weeks from then, an inquery from the Moscow Sanctuary Head, and a reply to one of the Tokyo scientists on how to care for one of the Abnormals they'd just captured.

It was well after dinner by the time she finished. As she finished her last few reports, she came up with an outline of a plan. First step?

Inform Nikola Tesla of his impending fatherhood.

It wasn't just her decision - he'd had just as much to do with it as she had. While she wasn't entirely sure on what his decision would be, he deserved to know.

Knowing he was likely to still be in his lab, Helen replaced everything on her desk and headed for the lift. Her nerves were starting up again, but Helen put a stop to them as best as she possibly could before the lift doors opened on the next floor. She walked in an almost daze to the third door on the right and found the door was open. She stepped in, knocking lightly on the doorframe.

"Nikola?"

There was several loud noises and a serbian swear uttered before Nikola appeared on the side of one lab table. His hair stuck in several directions and there was a smudge of something dark along his face, a metal piece of something caught in each hand.

"Am I interrupting something?" She inquired as he tossed the metal bits onto the table. Her nerves continued to sweep over her and she leaned against a lab table to try and steady herself again.

"No, not really. Another failed work in progress." He muttered and pulled out a handkerchief to rub his face clean. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

"You look as if you're about to pass out, Helen." He said in a much gentler tone. Helen gave a weary, nearly forced laugh.

"I just might." She admitted quietly when she felt the dizziness wash over her. She took a deep breath in through her nose and let it out through her mouth. _Get it together, Helen! _She was trying, by God, but it wasn't working. She felt her knees buckle as her world began to tilt. Her vision tunneled and she lost all ability to remain standing in that fleeting moment. Thankfully, Nikola was suddenly there to catch her, arms hooking beneath her back and knees to lift her into his arms before she slammed into the ground.

"I'm taking you to the infirmary." He told her and she twisted in his arms, trying to bring herself back long enough to focus.

"No! - Just . . . take me to my room. I'll explain." She managed to get out. Nikola seemed to hesitate, but followed her orders nonetheless. Helen was aware of blacking out momentarily, for the next thing she knew she was being lain across her bed and a cool clothe was being pressed against her forehead. Her stomach was already protesting, but she was able to control that much more than she was able to control the dizziness.

She was silent for a moment as she pulled the clothe down over her eyes, trying to put it off for just a minute more. Nikola's prying fingers pulled it off and she flinched slightly, still waiting for it to pass.

"Want to tell me why you just nearly passed out in my lab? You're the only one I'll ever let get away with that, by the way." He said with his usual cheeky grin. Helen returned it with a tired smile.

"Don't I just feel special."

"When was the last time you ate?"

"It has nothing to do with my eating habits, thank you. I ate a few hours ago." She muttered. Nikola gestured for her to continue as he removed his jacket and sat on the edge of the bed beside her. Helen let out a lengthy sigh.

"I haven't been feeling well recently, so I ran a diagnostic on myself this morning to see why I was so sick. I found elevated levels of human chorionic gonadotropin, progesterone, and estrogen when I did a blood test and -."

"English, Helen, if you don't mind."

"Nikola, I'm pregnant."

She could see in his eyes that he was thinking back, from where they had returned from their mission involving the vampire queen some time ago, and the events that had eventually transpired because of it. The gears in his head were turning as he studied Helen's face, gaze flickering between it and her stomach as if he believed her to suddenly jump up and yell 'surprise!' right in his face.

"How did that happen?" He asked.

"You're a genius, Nikola, and you don't know where babies come from?" She tried meekly, watching as he got to his feet and began to pace, a serious expression on his face. Helen watched him for a moment until his antics started making her dizzy again. She rolled over onto her side instead and picked a spot to stare at on the wall.

"Whatever we decide to do, we both are to agree on it." She said in a much softer tone. Having known Nikola for quite some time, Helen was at a mild loss because she wasn't able to read his expression and reaction at that moment. His footsteps on the carpet stopped somewhere near her bedroom window behind her.

"I think it's quite obvious what we do." Nikola said.

"Enlighten me."

She didn't recieve a response, but a few moments later she felt the mattress sink down as he climbed into bed with her. His arm came to wrap around her midsection and he pulled her closer, leaving Helen no room to protest. Her hand moved to cover his, trembling slightly. This was a situation she hadn't faced in years and it was still just as frightening, something else she would have to adapt and adjust to.

"I'm not sure I can do this again, Nikola. If anything were to happen -."

"You're thinking negatively. Stop."

"I can't." She replied, her head twisting to look at him. "With everything that's happened, with the sort of nonsense we're involved with daily - do you honestly think it's wise and safe?"

"It may not be, but I have faith you can keep whatever genius child we have safe and sound from any sort of harm." He shrugged, his breath tickling the back of her neck as he spoke.

"I couldn't last time."

"Then we'll just be more neurotic and protective this time. Although, it could be our child could protect itself. After all, it's likely to be highly intelligent with dashing looks and powerful abnormal abilities." Nikola replied almost brightly.

"Yes, well, if this thing turns out to be a vampire and decides to claw it's way out and breaks my spine when it's born, I'm blaming you entirely." She muttered.

"Fair enough."

Helen twisted her entire body, shifting so that she could curl into Nikola's surprisingly comforting embrace. He'd always been her closest friend, ever since they'd been the two outcasts at Oxford all those years ago. Despite his sarcastic, witty, and mildly annoying tendencies, Helen was quite comforted by the fact he was likely to be just as overprotective and neurotic as she sighed heavily, taking in his words and weighing them heavily in her mind.

"Now we just have to tell the others."

"I'll leave that to you. You are their boss, after all." Nikola replied, fingers trailing across her back in circular movements that instantly soothed all nausea she'd been feeling in that moment. She could have gone to sleep right then and there.

"Your demon spawn makes me exhausted."

"Mine? I believe it's just as much of yours as it is mine. Besides, our demon spawn will rule the world."

"Mhm, but you seduced me." Helen replied with a half smile. Nikola twisted them both so she was suddenly lying on top of him. He smirked.

"Would you like me to do it again?"

"Cheeky bastard." She muttered, hovering above him. He reached up and tucked hair behind her ear before his lips captured hers in a fleeting kiss. Warmth flooded Helen's body, dispelling all panic and fear for the time being. It was still there, though, in the recesses of her mind - but Nikola was right, and she needed to stop thinking so negatively. Holding the title of 'mother' again did elate and excite her as well. It would be an entirely new challenge, especially since a father figure would be around this time.

She was almost looking forward to it.

"I love you, you know." Nikola said casually when she pulled away and he released her, so she could curl back against his side to sleep. Helen smiled tiredly.

"And I you, father of our demon spawn."


	2. Chapter 2

**_I'm iffy about this chapter, but hopefully you guys will like it! Reviews make me smile._**

It'd been a long time since Helen had awoken next to a man, and she could only remember doing it about three separate times before. That particular morning had felt different, however, with Nikola pressed tightly to her back and one arm thrown around her abdomen. One of her legs was wrapped around his, and the both of them were still in the same clothes they'd fallen asleep in the night before. Helen smiled ever so slightly to herself before she paused, thoughts processing themselves a bit further to the point where all her doubts from yesterday began to sink in again.

Was this truly the right choice? To attempt to be a parent again, especially with the man she had been determined would remain her best friend and nothing more? That had clearly been shot to hell, and while the reality likely hadn't settled in yet, her mind was already trying to predict what the future could hold should she continue down the path of being a parent with Nikola. She shifted, cheek brushing against the soft material of her pillow case as she tried not to give away that she was indeed awake.

It was far too late, it seemed, as she felt Nikola's lips press against the back of her neck. She twisted easily enough in his embrace, finding that when she rolled over onto her other side his face was mere inches from her own. She studied him in silence for a long moment, gears in her mind turning. She loved Nikola, that was without question, but would it work? The time they spent around each other was often filled with anything from bickering to sexual innuendo, and everything in between. That had just been with them as friends. Now that it was clear she loved him – and since she couldn't retract her statement from the previous night, it was going to be quite the challenge to adjust.

"Good morning." He greeted in a low rumble, smirking.

"What are you so happy about this morning?" Helen asked, voice still clouded lightly with sleep, unlike Nikola's. Clearly he'd been awake for a while.

"We slept together last night."

"Not in the way you were hoping, I'm afraid." She muttered, refusing the urge to roll her eyes. "That's the reason we're in this mess to begin with anyway."

"You liked it." Nikola teased in his usual manner. Helen shook her head a fraction of an inch before she relinquished completely to Nikola's embrace, burying her face in his shirt as she tried to put off getting out of bed. She needed to do it soon, as she had far too much work to do. There was a staff meeting scheduled for later that morning as well for a briefing on another mission. Clearly, it would be then she would have to inform her team of her current situation.

"There's no turning back once I tell the others." Helen warned quietly, sighing heavily as she realized it herself.

"I'm well aware of that fact, thank you. Genius, remember?"

"I'm serious, Nikola. We made the decision to do this, now we have to see it through."

"You talk as if it's one of your experiments, Helen." He drawled, threading his fingers through her hair. Helen decided instantly she liked the action. If she hadn't been so adamant at getting out of bed anytime soon, the action would have put her back to sleep in mere seconds flat.

"It's not." He continued. "It's something much more than that."

"I know, Nikola. I've been down this path before." Helen stated before letting out a lengthy sigh. "Should I expect you to be at the meeting, or will you be skipping this one like all the others?"

"I might be able to pencil you in." He grinned. This time, Helen did roll her eyes.

"You're impossible."

"But you love me anyway."

The statement was so simple, but it made another gentle smile come to Helen's face. To have the freedom to admit it, to be able to banter this easily with Nikola without him attempting to piss her off was nice. More than nice. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a challenge to get used to after all.

Nikola reluctantly withdrew to his own room to change into different clothes, allowing Helen to grab a long shower and change into something else as well, pausing every once in a while to force down the morning sickness that seemed intent on plaguing her. It wasn't as bad as it had been in the past several days, but it was enough to make Helen wait a bit before she dared to leave her room.

Tea was waiting for her on her desk, along with the vitamins from the day before and several saltine crackers. She smiled when she noticed them in her office. Her old friend really was aware of far more than most realized. She nibbled on a cracker as she started her computer back up and pulled up any emails and the usual programs she had running in the background. The meeting wasn't for another half an hour at least, which gave her some time to prepare how she wanted to break the news.

If only she could come up with a proper way. Coming right out to say it seemed too blunt, as her team was likely to react rather negatively, most especially Will. The thought made her sigh aloud as she took a drink of tea, swallowing a vitamin with it before she stashed the bottle in the bottom drawer of her desk. As she did so, a glinting caught her up. She grabbed the picture frame and pulled it from it's spot in the drawer, smiling faintly at the photo of Ashley. She'd been about eleven, her face bright and eyes lit up as she chased after a butterfly in the photo.

On sudden impulse, Helen placed the photo on her desk near her computer.

Part of her felt as if she was betraying Ashley in a way almost, but it was a silly notion. Helen knew Ashley would be happy for her, and happy to have a little sibling – she used to ask Helen quite frequently when she was younger why all the other kids at school had little brothers and sisters and she didn't. Helen would have given them to her if at all possible, but it wasn't as if she was going back to John anytime soon. Ashley had deserved better than John as her father.

Pinching the bridge of her nose almost tiredly, Helen grabbed another cracker. Things were going to get complicated very quickly. Will would have to prove his worth rather quickly as the months started to progress and she was no longer able to lead missions or travel to the other sanctuaries in person to visit. Hopefully the other sanctuaries would be as accommodating as last time she'd dealt with this, and stick to video conferences. But Helen did have faith that after three years, Will had the capabilities to take charge for a short time.

There was a knock on her office door frame and she glanced up. _Speak of the devil_, Helen mused as Will entered, followed shortly by Kate, Henry, and her old friend. To her surprise, Nikola appeared a few seconds later as well. He didn't enter the room, merely leaned against the door frame, arms folded across his chest. Taking a breath, Helen pulled out the folder with mission details and began to brief them on the simple 'bag and tag' mission in the rainforests of South America that would land them another rare abnormal.

" . . . Henry, I trust since you're still working on the modifications to the security system and EM shield, you'll be able to hold the fort down here well enough."

"Biggie and I got it covered." Henry grinned, tilting his head back to look at her towering friend who lingered near the back of the room, behind the couch that Henry and Will were sprawled across.

"Will, you and Kate need to be ready to leave in the early hours of Thursday morning. We'll need to be in Brazil relatively early to get as much daylight as possible." She looked at them. The pair nodded and Helen continued.

"Now, a few housekeeping notes . . . with updates to the security system and EM shield going on, Henry's informed me that the power may fluctuate and alarms might go off on their own. If they do go off, please check them just in case." Helen pretended to be staring at something in her folder for a long moment before she swallowed rather thickly, taking a drink of tea to help. This was certainly harder than expected.

"Will, I need you to start preparing yourself a little more thoroughly to assist me, especially within the coming months, and I need the rest of you to cooperate with a slight shift in power to Will. I'll still have direct say in things, but I'll no longer be able to go on missions to travel when the other sanctuaries demand in person meetings. Those duties will fall to you, Will."

"Are you going somewhere?" Kate asked, lips twisted into a frown.

"No, not at all. It's a health reason."

"You're not dying again, are you?" Will said, alarm creeping into his voice. A smile ghosted across Helen's face and she glanced momentarily at Nikola in the doorway, almost rolling her eyes at the knowing smirk plastered across his own face.

"I'm pregnant." She replied conversationally, shrugging her shoulders as if it were no big deal. She took a long drink of tea the minute the words left her mouth and watched the four of them for any sort of reaction. Will was the first to pull it together and actually let out a forced laugh.

"Funny Magnus. Nice joke."

Helen frowned.

"I'm not kidding, Will. I ran the tests yesterday and will gladly run them again in front of you if you need the proof." She said seriously, resting her arms on her desk as she studied him.

"But . . . ." He faltered slightly, frowning again. There was silence another long minute before he glanced sideways, Nikola's slight movement catching his attention. Will looked at him, then back at Helen, a look of what she could only describe as disbelief written across his face.

"Really, Wilheim. It's not that hard of a concept to grasp." Nikola drawled, pushing off the door frame to step further into the room. Helen sighed, shaking her head at Nikola. His voice seemed to finally make it click in the heads of Kate and Henry, however, because they too looked between Helen and Nikola with a look that matched Will's from a few moments earlier.

"I always wanted to be a big brother." Henry said quietly, clearly attempting to break the silence. Helen looked him and smiled faintly, before her gaze circled the room once more. Nikola had moved to lean against the corner of her desk now, the both of them studying Kate, Will, and Henry like a set of parents trying to explain something very serious to their other children. Helen almost smiled at the thought.

"That's all for today." Helen concluded after several moments of rather awkward silence. "Will, Kate, again, be ready early Thursday morning. You're all dismissed."

Kate and Henry shuffled out silently, Henry flashing her a brief thumbs up. Her old friend followed, but Will remained rooted to the spot.

"Something on your mind, Will?" Helen inquired conversationally as she picked up her pen and shut her folder, using it to swat Nikola who was sitting on the papers at the edge of her desk that she needed. He moved and she snatched them up, pulling her toward her so she could get started as she waited for Will to speak.

"So I have to take over for you for the next nine months because you're having his kid?" Will asked, nodding toward Nikola, whose upper lip curled. Helen's pen paused in the motion of signing her name to the bottom of the report and she looked up at Will, frowning slightly.

"Nikola, I need to talk to Will alone, please." She requested quietly. Nikola growled but the look Helen threw him silenced him effectively enough. He left the room muttering several Serbian words that Helen knew all too well, shutting the door a bit too hard behind him.

"Will, this is as much of a problem and a shock to me as it is to you, all right?" Helen began quietly. "Trust me, I didn't plan for it to happen."

"I was under the impression you hated him and now suddenly you're having a kid with him? That's . . . messed up, Magnus." Will ran his fingers through his hair and sent it sticking in several directions.

"Well I can't change anything about it now, I'm afraid." She said and grabbed another cracker. They'd been her best friend during her first pregnancy and she seemed to be holding them down with relative ease at the moment, which made her a lot happier.

"I will need your full cooperation, Will. As much as I'd like to think I can and pretend to do so, I won't be able to run the sanctuary on my own once I hit my third trimester, if not before then. I'd ask Henry, but you're the one I chose for this job in the first place those three years ago. Think of it as a test, really. You won't have to do it long, even. I'll be able to get back on my feet once the baby is born. It'll be challenging, but I'm always up for one." Helen smirked, more to herself than to Will. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he stepped toward her desk, leaning against it.

"Fine. I'll help, mostly because I know if it wasn't serious you wouldn't be asking. You never ask for help." Will muttered.

"Cheeky." She warned, glancing back down at her reports. "But thank you."

"Don't expect me to be that happy about it." He warned. Helen almost laughed. Almost.

"Take that up with Nikola. It's his fault." She shook her head, brushing hair aside and tucking it behind her ear as it fell into her face before signing off on another paper.

"To much info, Magnus."

"Sorry."

Will shook his head in imitation of Helen before he slipped out of the door and she returned to her work. Naturally, it didn't take Nikola long to wander back in, looking thoroughly irritated.

"I've decided something." He announced with mild flourish as he twirled a flower between his fingers before holding it out to her. She took it silently, eyebrow arched in hopes he would continue. What was he possibly up to now?

"What would that be?"

"I'm going with you Thursday."

"No, you're not." She reacted instantly. "I need you to stay here with Henry and help with the EM shield upgrades." She elaborated. Nikola's eyes flashed darkly.

"You know good and well Henry is far than capable on this own to upgrade the system without me hovering over his shoulder. You're most important at the moment, so wherever you go, I go. It's for your own good, really, so I can protect you." Nikola said, leaning closer toward her, hands planted firmly on the surface of her desk. Helen stood – rather, sat – her ground and didn't waver from her position, even when his face was inches from her own.

"You've never bothered to protect me before, so you shouldn't have to start now. Besides, I'm more than capable of protecting myself. I've done it all my life and now should be no different." Helen replied.

"If we're going to do this, you're going to have to let me in past that ice queen façade, you know." He mused. "It is going to be different because unlike a certain serial killer, I intend on being there to protect the mother of my child whether she wants it or not. Understand?"

"Oh, I understand. But it's not going to happen."

He leaned impossibly closer and she felt her breath hitch involuntarily. He did have a point – Helen was going to have to stop being so dependent on only herself, especially if they were in this together. She let out a lengthy sigh and glanced away from his smoldering gaze for a long moment.

"Fine. Just don't get in the way."

"You won't even know I'm there unless something happens to you." He assured with a triumphant smirk before closing the rest of the distance between them and steal a quick kiss from her. She eyed him suspiciously when he pulled away.

"Is this going to be a new occurrence? You defending and protecting me like some damsel in distress and stealing kisses when you think it's appropriate?" Helen inquired, folding her arms on the top of her desk with an amused expression on her face. Nikola shrugged lightly, one hand lifting from her desk to play with a tendril of hair that hung about her face.

"It's likely. I intend to take advantage of the situation. You should consider it as well." Nikola told her. "I love you dearly Helen, you should know that by now. With it comes my promise to protect you. I may be a few years late, but I intend to keep you and demon spawn safe. If anything were to happen to either of you -."

She held up a hand to cut him off.

"Nothing will happen to either of us. I won't let it." She insisted. "The fetus is barely the size of a peanut, and you're already attached to it?"

Another smirk.

"Aren't you?" He retorted. Another kiss, this time to her forehead. "Just do me a favor and don't go running off like you generally do. I'd hate to lock you up."

"Only in your dreams, Nikola."

"Every night."

"Cheeky bastard."

"See you bright and early Thursday morning." Nikola stated before he slipped out of the door. Helen flowered at the door for a moment before she finally returned her attention to her work before she fell too far behind.

Helen had to admit, however, it did feel nice having someone there to protect her. John had promised her that at some point, but that had been shot to hell not long afterward. While Henry and Will and Kate did protect her during missions, there was just something else about Nikola. Hearing him say it, seeing him so determined did things to her mind and her heart. It was that side of Nikola she had fallen in love with in the first place – it had all been quite even more endearing when he'd had such a horrible accent with his words. Even now, however, Helen did like the feeling of knowing he was so determined to protect her, and their accidental child.

Helen was convinced this was going to be quite a different experience than her pregnancy with Ashley, by a long shot. Nikola had no experience being a father, but at least he already had the over-protectiveness down pat. A crucial part of being a parent was to worry far too much over your child and if he already had that sort of dedication now, she could only imagine what it would be like when the baby would be born.

Pausing in her work, she moved to rest a hand against her flat abdomen through the silk of her blouse, smiling faintly to herself as she did so. It was hard to believe another little life now resided there, and would for the next several months.

"Your parents are crazy, demon child of mine." Helen said aloud to the empty room. "But we already love you quite dearly. Never forget that."

Like she was ever going to let it forget.

Again, insecurities and doubts filtered through her mind momentarily, but Nikola's promises of protection came flooding through as well, pushing all negativity out of her head. It was an odd sensation to say the least, but to feel that protected, that unbelievably loved was a feeling she wasn't entirely used to. Clearly she'd need to get used to it, and very soon. It was cautious territory for sure, and for a moment Helen felt as if she were about to begin to step off a cliff blindly, hoping like hell Nikola would be there to catch her at the bottom. He would be, she knew, but it was finding that trust in him and herself to take that first and only step off that cliff that she was trying to do. Finding it was difficult, but Helen had faith enough in herself that she'd be able to. After all, she'd certainly faced more dangerous situations before. This would be no different.

Glancing back up at the door, Helen let another smile fall across her lips before she picked up her pen and began her work anew, eager to get it finished so she could perhaps eat lunch with the man she loved.


	3. Chapter 3

Their trip to the rainforest went mostly as planned, up until the part where Will ended up with a vicious gash on his side and Helen ended up with a large bruise across her back, and all of them had ended up with quite the scare when their zip line had snapped (read: been chewed through by the abnormal) and they'd free-fallen until the line caught them. Will's battle wounds had come from the creature itself when it had swiped at him with razor sharp claws, but Helen's had come from when Nikola had accidentally tossed her a bit too hard out of the path of the monster and she'd gone slamming into a tree. It didn't hurt as bad as it looked, really, and she was trying to pretend it didn't even exist.

But, she would admit she'd rather have a bruise than large razor teeth marks embedded into her arm.

"Well, it's official." Helen sighed as she sat down in one of the chairs in the infirmary, watching as her old friend changed the bandages on Will's side. "The entire sanctuary now knows I'm pregnant."

"Yeah? How did that meeting go?" He inquired and she shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose for a long moment. It hadn't even been her fault for the tension in the meeting, simply some topics that were not really discussed that often and had needed to be discussed. There had been a fight between the heads of house of Tokyo and Moscow, unfortunately, and Helen had been forced to play mediator. By the time she had ended the meeting, she'd nearly forgotten about part of the reason in her calling it in the first place. Too tired for anything else, she'd simply blurted it out and fielded their questions before she terminated the link. She explained this to Will and he made a face.

"But they're willing to fully cooperate to help you transition into my duties once the time comes. Declan's going to be taking over as head of the network until I'm able to again." Helen added in mild reassurance. All of the heads of house had agreed, albeit a few of them rather hesitantly, so at least she knew her position would be well taken care of. She trusted the network in Declan's hands, and she trusted her sanctuary in Will's.

"Great." Will muttered in a not-so-enthused tone. Helen knew he never did like taking her position, but he did so because she requested or it simply needed to be done, such as the time he had taken over for her when she'd been incapacitated. This situation was quite similar as she wouldn't be able to perform her duties, but at least time it was more willing on her part.

"Your turn." Her old friend said, looking at her as he finished tying off Will's bandages. Will tugged his shirt back on and slid off the bed, looking mildly confused at Helen being there.

"Wound check and ultrasound." Helen provided as she removed her suit jacket, tossing it over the back of the chair she had just vacated before she took up position on the bed Will had previously been sitting on.

"Ah. Seeing if the thing has fangs yet?"

"Funny, William." Helen muttered, watching as he merely smirked and grabbed his own jacket, disappearing from the infirmary. Once gone, Helen slid her blouse up to show off the bruise along her back. The second his hands pressed against it she hissed and arched her back in pain. One of his other hands clamped down on her shoulder to hold her in place as he examined it, fingers pressing gingerly in places. Helen's body reacted of its own accord and attempted to twist away from the probing hand, but his other hand held her in place.

"Why, Helen, I thought you only moved like that under me." Nikola drawled as he entered the infirmary as Helen made one particularly violent twist away from her old friend, who growled in irritation.

"Don't even go there Nikola." She muttered, the last of his name ending in a harsh hiss as her old friend slathered something across her back. It burned for a long moment before sinking deep within her skin. The hand on her shoulder released and she relaxed a bit, glad the pain from her back seemed to be disappearing for the time being.

"What are you doing down here?" She inquired. "I thought you were working on something?"

"I was." He said, drawing nearer and leaning against the side of the bed with his classic smirk. "Thought I'd come check on you."

"How thoughtful." She murmured, nearly rolling her eyes as she waited for whatever had been slathered across her back to dry or sink further into her skin. Her old friend's hand had practically ground it into the bruised layers of skin, leaving her back throbbing for a moment until the medication indeed kicked in and she was simply left holding up her shirt.

"You look positively radiant." He mused still, reaching out to curl a tendril of her hair around his finger. "It suits you."

"You won't be saying that when I turn into hell in heels soon enough." Helen stated and he chuckled.

"I think I can handle it."

"That's what you think." She warned. His remark was cut off as Henry called for her to return to her office over the intercom system. "Rain check on the ultrasound, old friend. Hopefully this won't take long." She said to her old friend, who gave a grunt of impatience. Helen slipped off the bed and let her shirt drop, pulling on her jacket as well. She brushed past Nikola and headed out of the infirmary. Naturally, Nikola followed.

"Are you all right? You look a bit pale." Nikola commented in that tone of concern she was not yet used to from him as they waited for the elevator. She looked at him with an odd little look, mostly of confusion.

"I feel fine." She replied, for once telling mostly the truth. She was tired, yes, but when wasn't she? Nothing a little extra sleep wouldn't cure easily enough.

"Helen," Nikola gave a warning tone. "Demon spawn is clearly not going to be a normal child, let alone a normal pregnancy. Shouldn't you be taking it easy? Tell Henry you can't come to your office for whatever it is and go lie down, ljubav."

Again, it earned him another little look, mostly because she was definitely not used to him acting like this, all concerned and protective. It was a much less calmer manner than he had been during their mission, but this was still that deep need to protect her coming out. Helen rested a hand against his cheek after she gathered her thoughts, smiling faintly.

"I'm fine. I promise. I know my limits and I will stop myself if it gets too far." She assured him gently. "I wouldn't do anything to endanger myself or demon spawn, and you know that." Helen continued as they stepped into the elevator. Nikola wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, his blue eyes positively drilling a hole through her own.

"The thing is, you don't know when to stop. You had James there to remind you last time."

"James never reminded me."

"He tried, or so he said in his letters. You just never heard him or flat out refused to listen to him, and you went into labor in the middle of your office because of stress. I don't think you want that to happen." Nikola continued as Helen extracted herself long enough to press the button for one of the upper floors. She sighed.

"No, I don't want it to happen because I know this is a higher-risk pregnancy. I'm risking about five different things that could possibly kill me and the baby when I go into labor. It's going to need to be planned very carefully." She glanced sideways for a moment. "Nikola, if something happens to me -."

"Nothing is going to happen to you." He said, but she put a finger on his lips to silence him.

"I need to say this. If something happens to me, you need to keep it together. You're going to have to help Will, and if it ends well enough, you're going to have to take care of demon spawn without me."

He reached up and drew her hand from his lips, pulling it away.

"I won't let anything happen to you." He was insistent.

"I don't want anything to happen, either, but I can't predict what complications might happen." Helen said, remembering how her own mother had died in child-birth. "Another thing – if you have a choice to save either me or the baby, you save the baby, Nikola. I don't care what anyone says, you save it. Not me."

"What's brought this line of thinking on?"

"Just precautions. I did the same thing before with Ashley." Helen replied and his lips twitched.

"I won't be able to do that, you know."

"Try very hard." She sighed.

"Don't worry. It's not going to come down to any of that, and both of you are going to be absolutely fine." One hand moved to trace her jaw line a moment, brushing across the skin just faintly, before he leaned in and kissed her like she'd expected him to. This kiss was far less passionate than previous ones had been – this one was more of a kiss of comfort, one full of promise that he would indeed not let anything happen to her or their child. She believed him, and the kiss managed to quell the fear that had been rising and boiling in her chest for quite some time, but Helen knew it would be back. It always came back.

When Nikola pulled away, she curled into his embrace, digging briefly in her pocket for her phone. She dialed out the quick number and waited for Henry to pick up on the other line.

"Henry, I'm afraid I can't make it to my office. Some other things have come to my attention and I need to take it easy the rest of the day. Have Will handle it." She said into her phone. Henry sounded as if he wanted to protest on the other line, but Helen hung up before he got the chance to do so. She tucked her phone back away and instead pressed the button for the residential floor.

"Something on your mind, Dr. Magnus?" Nikola inquired in a low voice just above her ear that made her smirk.

"Wasn't it you who was just saying the other day how much I needed to rest?" She countered, looking up at him. The easy grin she was so fond of slid over his features.

"Oh, don't let me get in the way. Here, I'll even carry you so you don't have to take another step." He said and before Helen could process the words or protest to them, he had easily lifted her into his arms.

"I am more than capable of walking, you know." Helen said, looping one arm around his neck as the elevator slid to a stop and the doors opened. Nikola chuckled, but carried her anyway down the hallway toward her – _their?_ – room. Helen rested her head against his chest with a heavy sigh, very much enjoying the attention Nikola seemed to be giving her. It was uncharacteristic, of course, and Helen wondered how long it would last before he was back to his usual, snarky self.

"Shall I join you in resting, or are my devilishly handsome good looks far too distracting for you to get much resting done?"

Apparently it wouldn't take too long.

He carried her into the bedroom and shut the door with his foot. He finally placed her on her own two feet and Helen unbuttoned her jacket. A nap wouldn't hurt, and she was rather exhausted – as long as she got her work done afterward, she didn't see the problem with it. It did go against her normal standards, but seeing as she was already here . . . she shoved standards out the window.

Nikola's fingers reached for the front of her jacket and unbuttoned it, slipping it from her shoulder for her. She arched an eyebrow up at his smirk face before his lips captured hers in another kiss. This one was far more passionate than before, his lips warm against her own. A hand came up to catch her by the back of the neck, the other at her waist as he pulled her impossibly closer.

Helen's fingers tangled within the fabric of his shirt and she walked backwards out of her heels until her knees hit the edge of the bed. She fell backward and Nikola followed, never once breaking their kiss. One of his hands released their grip on her to prop himself on the bed so as not to put his weight on her. She was remotely aware of her hair beginning to stand on end and the tingling sensation now coursing across her skin. She could practically feel the electricity running across every inch of her body.

When he pulled away with a knowing smirk, Helen took in a breath with a hazy smile of her own.

"I thought I was supposed to be resting?" She inquired with an amused tone. He chuckled and from his closeness, she could feel the rumbling in his chest.

"Just giving you something to dream about." He grinned before pulling away. Helen collected herself and climbed to the top of her bed, falling into her pillows. Without hesitation, Nikola joined her after removing his own jacket and shoes.

"Hopefully my presence isn't too distracting." Nikola added. Helen rolled her eyes and curled up next to him. His lips pressed a trail of kisses along her throat, hovering over her pulse point a few seconds longer. Without realizing it, her head tilted to give him better access. Another chuckle escaped his lips.

"If you would have given in those years ago, we wouldn't have had to wait this long." He murmured against her skin.

"If you had been more forthcoming and less of an obnoxious ass about it, perhaps I would have considered." She replied cheekily, looking at him with mirth dancing in her eyes. He narrowed his own eyes.

"Ouch, Helen. You wound me." He feigned hurt, switching to lie on his back. Helen sat up, propping herself up onto her elbows with her hair draping along one shoulder like a curtain as she looked at him. The teasing smile was still on her lips.

"I waited, you know." She began conversationally. "Back then. I waited for you to ask me out. I admit the only reason I accepted a date with John was to make you jealous, to kick you into gear, but that sort of backfired now, didn't it?" She had an oddly amused expression on her face.

"Nothing that can't be remedied, I'm certain. We just have a few decades to made up for." He smirked wickedly at her. Helen sank back into the cushions with a sigh, flinching when her back gave a dull throb of pain. Apparently whatever her old friend had put on it was now wearing off. Nikola noticed this and gave her a frown.

"Take off your shirt." He said, but not ordered. Helen stared blankly at him and he rolled his eyes. "It's not as if I haven't seen it before. Just trust me. For once."

She hesitated a moment longer before she undid the buttons of her blouse and sat up, sliding it off her shoulders and tossing it on the floor to the side of the bed. Nikola was removing his own shirt when he nodded to the lacey straps of her bra.

"That too. If you're in the modest mood, get under blankets first."

"Nikola, what -?"

"Do you want your back to stop hurting or not? I'm trying to be the good guy here, since that giant bruise your sporting is sort of my fault."

"Sort of? It is your fault because you slammed me into a tree."

"Pardon me for saving you. Now take it off it I assure you, I can easily do it for you."

Growing more irritated, Helen sank beneath the blankets and removed her bra. She felt Nikola move behind her and she made to turn to see what he was doing, but his hand around her waist stopped her. Suddenly she was pulled flush against his body, every inch of his chest touching every inch of her back. His cold skin felt like ice against the bruise and acting as an almost remedy for the pain for the time being. Helen pressed herself as far back against him as possible, seeking relief.

"Better?" He inquired lowly in her ear.

"Immensely so."

Helen started to drift off, but was pulled from the brink of sleep by her cell phone going off in her jacket pocket across the room. She swore quietly, but extracted herself from Nikola's embrace to fetch the phone, hugging one of her pillows to her chest to keep some bit of decency about covering herself up. She fished out the phone and frowned when she saw it was Henry.

"Henry, I said -." She began to answer it, but another voice, definitely not Henry's, cut across her.

"I thought I taught you better manners than to keep people waiting, Helen." Gregory Magnus' voice filtered through. Helen quite near dropped the phone in shock.

"What's going on?"

"Come to your office and fine out."

He hung up and Helen turned back to Nikola with a quizzical look, dropping the phone back into her pocket. Nikola arched an eyebrow at her look.

"What?"

"My father. Apparently the situation I'm needed for is something I can't afford to miss." She muttered, and grabbed her bra and shirt, both which she turned away to pull on. She heard the rustle of fabric as Nikola dressed as well, their nap ruined. Helen pulled her jacket back on just as Nikola crept up behind her and pressed a kiss to her throat before her jacket collar covered it up.

"We can continue later."

"I was counting on it." She gave a teasing smirk before she headed for the door. "Though do try to behave yourself around my father."

"Have I ever?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, my lovely readers! I'm back! I apologize for the long wait on this! I've started college recently and it's taken me a while to get settled and everything, but I'm back and should be able to update more frequently now, mostly with this story and Fragments, if you read that one as well! I hope you can forgive my absence!**

**Insert typical disclaimer about not owning anything here.**

"Doc . . . _Magnus!_"

Helen opened her eyes, blinking hazily as she attempted to shift, flinching when something sharp dug into her back. She bit down on her lip, hissing furiously as a hand rested against her cheek, trying to pull her out of her semi-conscious state. Henry's face filled her vision, a concerned look taking over his features. Helen blinked again, trying to clear the fog. A pain rushed to meet her, shooting up her back and pounding into her head. She gritted her teeth against it and once again attempted to move. Henry's arms hooked under hers and helped her to sit up, pushing her gently back against a wall. Helen saw that they were in one of the hallways – well, what was left of one.

What was left of furniture scattered the hall, some pieces even embedded into the walls on either side. There was a doorway farther down that was completely destroyed that she vaguely recognized as her office. Helen's face twisted into confusion as she tried to gather her thoughts. Henry was still checking her over, saying something that wasn't quite sinking in just yet. What the hell had happened?

"Doc, come on." Henry urged and that finally sunk in, forcing Helen to look back at him.

"Henry . . ." She frowned, and using her voice seemed to trigger something within her. Her brain snapped together and a flood rushed forward. She'd been in her room and gotten the phone call from her father, which had prompted her to head to her office – she'd been almost to the door when something loud and hot had sent her flying back. Then, nothing. An explosion? A bomb?

Pain made itself known and Helen flinched again. Henry winced slightly and she noticed the cut above his brow and lacerations to his exposed arms.

"Are you okay?" Helen asked.

"I should be asking you the same thing." Henry murmured in return. "We need to get you to the infirmary. You slammed through a glass table on the way down."

So that explained the gritty feeling digging into her back and hands. She could feel blood making her clothes stick to her, and agreed silently that the infirmary was likely the best idea. Her mind was still fuzzy and she wasn't clear on the details of what the hell had happened yet – just that something had exploded in her office, likely with the intent to kill.

Helen reached out to Henry to help her up and he took hold, gently pulling her to her feet. She swayed lightly at the pain that shot through her, but she managed to make it upright and standing. Instinctively, she threw a hand over her abdomen, fingers splayed across it as if she could somehow check the status of her baby with her hand. A wave of utter panic washed through her, but she breathed quickly. It would be fine. Everything would be fine. It had to be.

"What happened?" She asked as she allowed Henry to help her to the elevator to take them down to the infirmary. Despite her injuries, she was shifting into a more professional version of herself, the version that needed to know what had happened to leave her in this state. She pushed back the pain, doing her damnest to ignore it for the time being.

"Perimeter breach. It's actually what I wanted to meet you in your office for." Henry muttered as he helped her into the elevator. She grabbed the railing and leaned against the wall, still listening. "I started tracing a lock I put on whoever broke in and was following it to your office when something just . . . exploded. I got hit with bits, but I saw you get pretty serious air down the hallway." Henry continued. "We'll figure it out later. Let's just get you downstairs."

Helen nodded silently, for once complying and putting her baby first, far too concerned for its safety than her own.

"Can you put the Sanctuary on lockdown from your tablet?" Helen asked as they descended, nodding to the machine still in Henry's hands. He nodded. "Level 8 lockdown, then, please, as soon as we get off the elevator."

In the right hall, Helen and Henry stepped off the elevator and Henry paused long enough to engage the lockdown. Helen heard the distinct noise of the metal barricades sliding into place and sealing themselves. If there was anyone in the building that wasn't supposed to be, the lockdown would ensure they didn't escape. Helen doubted they were still hanging around, but it was better to be safe and protect the abnormals and themselves before anything else blew up.

"See if you can contact the others." Helen said after they entered the infirmary. Henry nodded again, making sure she could get herself up onto a bed before he even attempted to do anything else. Helen's hands rested gently across her abdomen, still somewhat fearful if she had slammed through a glass table. Her pregnancy was high-risk enough and any blunt trauma to that part of her body was never a good thing, especially when she was still this early on into her pregnancy. It was still another two weeks until her second trimester, which put her out of the danger zone on several things.

A furry hand landed on her shoulder and she looked over, not surprised to see her old friend standing there. His hand forced her gently to lie down across the bed as Henry typed something in on his tablet. Helen let her friend do his work, beginning to pull shards of glass out of her skin. Helen let him, flinching every time one of the tiny shards was removed with the pair of tweezers in his hands. Forced to hold her hands at her sides, she gripped the sheets with a fierce fist, looking over to Henry.

"Will!" He said, relief evident in his voice. "Where are you?"

"_I'm in the residential corridors. What happened?"_

"Just stay there, Will, and it'll be taken care of soon." Helen called, the last of her words cut off in a particularly nasty hiss as her old friend slathered up her cuts with disinfectant.

"_Magnus_?"

"Just, uh, hang tight." Henry said and cut off the connection before he typed something else in, likely attempting to pull up Kate or Nikola. Helen's chest constricted – Nikola had been right behind her. In her slightly panicked state she hadn't even thought to look around for him. Guilt settled in.

"The vamp isn't picking up and Kate is unreachable because she's still on mission in Peru with Declan." Henry reported.

"Thank you. Can you go get Will and start making sweeps? Take the stunners, just in case." Helen said and Henry nodded.

"Of course. I'll – I'll be back in a bit to check on you."

Helen gave a meager smile that disappeared the minute Henry left. She had rolled over on her side to expose her back to her furry friend, who was now pulling larger shards out of her skin. She could feel blood trailing down her skin, soaking further into her clothes. Helen bit down hard on her lip as he slathered more disinfectant across her back. She arched, hissing slightly, but he pushed her down and forced her to remain still.

The glass door slammed open, nearly off his hinges and Helen's head snapped up. Nikola appeared in the room, eyes fading from black to blue and claws retracting. He looked somewhere between absolutely livid and overly concerned – Helen couldn't quite decipher which one was more dominant at the moment.

"Nikola." She breathed, relieved he was all right as well. He came forward as she sat up, flinching again, her hands still resting on her abdomen. Nikola's hands pressed against hers. Helen looked down, giving a gentle smile at his hands before she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. She fit her head in the crook of his neck and he kissed the top of her head, clearly glad she was all right as well.

"You had me worried. Don't do that." He muttered and she gave a meager laugh, unwilling to let go.

"I will grow a sixth sense and avoid where I know to be bombs, then." Helen muttered in a snarky tone, though she received no response from Nikola. She looked up at him, frowning, noting that he had clenched his teeth and the muscle in his jaw was jumping tensely. Helen rested her hand against his cheek, pulling his gaze down toward her.

"Relax, Nikola. I'm fine. Just a few minor scrapes." She said. "You worry far too much."

"You're pregnant, Helen, with my child. Forgive me if that doesn't warrant worry." He muttered tersely. Helen sighed and shook her head. Having someone worry about her as much as he seemed to was something Helen was not used to, and it almost felt suffocating. If all he intended to do was hover around her the next five months, he was quite wrong. Helen wouldn't be able to handle that, especially when her hormones kicked in full force.

When she turned and moved to leave the infirmary, she found Nikola blocking her way.

"Move, Nikola. I have work to do."

"You need to recover."

"I'm fine." She snapped a bit harder than she intended. "Someone impersonated my father to lure me into my office in an attempt to kill me in an explosion and had I been a few steps further in the corridor it would have." Helen continued. "So kindly get the hell out of my way so I can figure how who it was and why."

Without another word, she brushed by Nikola and swept out of the infirmary.

The corridor to her office looked like a tornado had hit it, really, and her office practically didn't even exist. Thankfully the walls and floor had held up, but the windows had shattered out and almost everything had been destroyed. She leaned in the blackened door frame, studying the room as a whole for a long moment as Henry and Will pilfered through debris, looking for any clue. Helen was still concerned whoever had set the explosive had impersonated her father, who (as far as she knew) was still safe in Praxis. Whoever it was knew how to get in and out quickly, though, which made her consider people she had already known. A pissed off abnormal, perhaps, or something else. She wasn't sure, but anyone that threatened her or demon spawn would pay the price. Helen crossed to Henry and Will, picking her way around charcoaled debris.

"Anything?" She inquired.

"There are some burnt and melted pieces of something that could have been an explosive. Nothing recognizable though." Will replied with a huff, looking thoroughly irritated that it had happened. Helen sighed, running her other hand through her hair lightly, tugging at the dark strands in thought. The bomb had likely been made to explode in just the right way so there would be no evidence left behind, naturally, which made their job a hell of a lot harder.

"Henry, can you scan the security video to see if there's anything?"

"Already did, Doc." He nodded to the tablet in his hand. "There's nothing. Either they tampered with the tapes or we've got an invisible man."

"Perfect." She muttered sarcastically, already feeling a headache blooming to life at the back of her head. Despite whatever her old friend had put on her wounds, her back was starting to throb – not painfully, but enough to be an annoyance whenever she walked. Henry turned back to his tablet.

"So he bypasses the shield and alarms, gets in with us barely noticing, doesn't show up on any of the security footage, imitate's Magnus' dad's voice, plants a bomb, and manages to escape before we can throw the building on lockdown?" Will asked no one in particular.

"Ridiculous, I know." Helen said. "With the updates to the systems going on, however, it may seem easier than it looks. He could have gotten in at any of the times the system was flickering, and it likely would have been very easy to bypass some of the remaining firewalls in order to alter the security footage so they wouldn't be identified. Even so, whoever did this knew exactly where my office was – which means somehow they've got their hands on blueprints to the sanctuary, also accessible from the system." Her brow furrowed. "Henry, can you run a trace to see if there are any bugs or other programs attached to one of ours that might be getting information?"

"Sure thing. I'll go do that now." He assured before ducking out of the room. Helen picked her way over to what was left of her desk. Everything completely gone – her papers burnt to a crisp, only bits and pieces left of her computer, anything and everything valuable gone from her drawers. Thankfully she didn't keep too many valuables in her office – they were mostly in her bedroom. Anything worth anything of value like decorations around the room had been replicas, the real ones stored away safely for this precise reason.

Still, the idea that someone was likely trying to kill her unnerved her. It wasn't really anything new, but for some reason this time it made her far more nervous than before. Whether it was because her pregnancy was making her paranoid, or something about this situation felt different she couldn't quite decipher, she wasn't sure. Just something was making her feel this way and she didn't like it. She shook her head, trying to clear her head.

"Magnus."

She lifted her head at Will's voice, frowning when she saw the pristine white envelope he held up. There wasn't a single charred mark on it, making her believe whoever had set the bomb had remained in the building until it had gone off to place the note. Even from her distance from Will, she could see her name scrawled neatly across the front. She closed the distance between them and plucked it from his fingers. Nothing else was on the outside of it, so she gentle tore it open and unfolded the piece of paper inside. It was crisp, perfectly folded, and made her somewhat wary. The message on the paper was written in the same handwriting as her name on the front of the envelope.

_Miss me?_

Helen stared at the letters, trying to figure out what it meant. Nothing sprang to mind so she none-too-gently forced the piece of paper back into the envelope, shaking her head.

"We'll get this cleaned up and I'll have Henry hurry up on those security updates. We'll be on high alert, but otherwise we will continue as normal. This is just a minor setback." Helen announced to Will, who was studying her. She knew he knew that she wasn't entirely calm about this particular situation, but either way he didn't dare press it.

"You should rest, Magnus. It's been a long day." Will offered and she shook her head.

"I need to get things set up in the library. I'll be using it as a temporary office." She said, quite irritated at all the people telling her she needed to rest. There was no way in hell she was resting in the near future, even if she wanted to. Besides, she was perfectly fine and perfectly capable to work. She wasn't a piece of glass that would shatter at the smallest of incidents – she didn't intend to be shoved up on a shelf for the remaining months of her pregnancy just because someone was trying to kill her and they thought she'd break. If anything, this made her more determined. Whoever was out to kill her – she'd find them first.

"I'll be there if you need me." She added a moment later, giving Will a curt nod before she picked her way over to the door and headed toward the library. She wanted to recognize the writing, but nothing was springing to mind unfortunately. The calligraphic-like style reminded her something from her own era, as the style was less common now days – an old enemy exacting revenge, perhaps? How cliché. But no one she knew was alive, or had the capabilities to plant a bomb in her office without getting caught.

She nudged the door to the library open and sought out the spare computer she kept in the large open room. Helen sank into the chair in front of it and began to pull up her usual programs, letting out a soft sigh. A new wave of nausea swept over her and she ducked her head, lips thinning into a tight line as she attempted to push it back. Footsteps across the room caught her attention, but she didn't lift her head.

"Nikola, if you've come to berate me further, kindly take it somewhere else for the time being." She muttered. He chuckled softly before she felt his fingers knead into the tense muscles of her neck and shoulders. She let out an inhuman noise and slumped forward, yielding to his fingers for a moment. He pressed a kiss to the top of her spine and she sighed heavily.

"It'll be all right, Helen. Whoever this freak is, he's not going to get to you." Nikola promised as he relented and she straightened up, rolling her shoulders and neck.

"You sound confident of that." Helen pointed out as he circled around to the front of the desk, leaning against it. Helen looked up at him and found him mere inches from her face, so close that she nearly went cross-eyed trying to keep him in view. He was intoxicatingly close.

"Because I'll kill them before they lay a hand on you." Nikola muttered, then closed the distance between them to kiss her, as if sealing his promise. Helen didn't want to point out that he hadn't protected her from the bomb, but she still found the promise reassuring. Helen reached up and rested her hand against his cheek a moment.

"I believe you. Just don't get upset if I happen to get a minor paper cut."

"Helen, you slammed through a glass table. That's a bit different from a paper cut."

"You know what I mean, Nikola." She sighed. "You can't have a fit if I get hurt and choose to ignore it. You were practically ready to build a tower and lock me in it right there in the infirmary."

Nikola pulled away slightly to study her.

"Helen." He said, and for a moment she saw genuine vulnerability reflected in his eyes. "You don't get it, do you?" Nikola asked and Helen was surprised how frustrated he sounded with her. Confusion marred Helen's features.

"What?"

"I have waited more than a lifetime for this. I watched as you fell in love with John, only to have your heart ripped to pieces. I watched as you froze the embryo of your unborn child to give her a better life. For over one-hundred years I've watched you grow into an even stronger, more beautiful woman than I fell in love with, and it only made me want you more. I had to watch you glow with happiness when you finally carried Ashley to term, how proud you were to be a mother. I was jealous, ragingly so, knowing it should have been me by your side. Not James. But you wouldn't have it. The one time you finally give in and I get my chance is years later, and now that I have you, and whatever child you carry now, I intend to keep you, with me, in one piece. If that means I have to lock you up for a certain amount of time to keep you safe, then so be it."

He paused, studying Helen's somewhat stunned face.

"I can't lose you, Helen, not now. And I know you won't be able to suffer the loss of another child if something were to happen to you. Just, please, actually listen to someone else for once in your life and take it easy, or so help me I'll lock you in a room."

She blinked at him, once, twice, trying to gather herself back up from his little outburst. He pushed away from her desk and began to pace the length in front of it, and Helen couldn't quite figure out what sort of expression his face held now. Regret, possibly, among other things. Her stomach twisted in its own way that had nothing to do with the baby and left her feeling slightly sick at her actions. Sighing softly, Helen raked her hair from her eyes and stood, circling the desk to stand in front of him and stop his pacing. Her hands came up to rest on his forearms and he looked at her.

"Nikola," She began, and had to clear her throat before she could continue, unhappy with how seemingly vulnerable her voice sounded. She'd never been confronted in such a way. Sure, James had yelled at her for all of what Nikola had just listed, but she'd brushed him off. Something about when Nikola said had sank into her head that time – that, and the look of pure fear written in Nikola's eyes. He was genuinely afraid something was going to happen to her, then, and it was driving him mad, clearly.

She opened her mouth to continue, but a sharp pain ran the length of her body and she very nearly crumbled in pain then and there. It was Nikola's turn to grab her as her knees gave out and she went crashing to the floor. Helen hissed as the same pain came circling back around, radiating from her spine and spreading forward around her abdomen. She ground her teeth together and dug her fingers into Nikola's arm, where they clung like a life-line to him.

"Helen, what's happening?" He inquired and she could hear the fear that laced his tone. She shook her head, trying to find words.

"I don't know!" She cried a bit louder than she intended as the pain became a steady one that made it impossible for her to move without making it hurt worse.

"Nikola . . . ." She breathed, trying to catch her breath, the edges of her vision swirling and fogging, turning black. She heard him say something, but everything suddenly sounded as if it were under water. Her eyelids fluttered as she struggled against remaining conscious. Unwilling to suffer the pain, however, Helen gave in and let the blackness consume her entirely.


	5. Chapter 5

**Not exactly an exciting chapter, but plenty of fluffy between Helen and Nikola, and Helen and Henry. And it explains a few things that might come in handy later. Next chapter we dive right back into the plot. **_  
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_A darkness swirled in her conscious, building up around her to form a more solid structure. One of the hallways of the sanctuary came into view and Helen found herself standing in the middle of it. She blinked, startled by the sudden change, aware she had just collapsed what felt like moments ago. What on earth . . . ? Helen turned left and right, looking up and down the hallway, but saw nothing. Everything was in it's place, but the deathly quiet that had settled over seemed like a dark presence – normally she could constantly hear some sort of noise. The sanctuary was never this quiet._

_Giggling caught her attention and Helen frowned. She turned again just to see a small figure dash around the corner. Curious, she followed. The giggling was already fading away so she hurried to catch up at a brisk walk, surprised that when she turned the corner the tiny figure was already turning another corner. Helen broke into a fast-paced jog to keep up now, wondering just what this little figure was doing wandering the halls of her dream. As she turned the third corner, the little figure had disappeared all together._

_"Hello?"_

_Her voice echoed oddly along the hallway, almost like a cavern. Her brow furrowed as she slowed to a stop halfway down the hall, glancing behind her. No sign of the little figure. What was going on? Perhaps it was all just a vivid dream, brought to life after she'd passed out in the library. Her hand drifted to her abdomen as she remembered distinctly the pain that had flared to life suddenly with no explanation, though it appeared she wasn't pregnant in this particular dream. Again, odd._

_A scream startled her out of her thoughts, and she realized it was that of a small child. Male or female, she couldn't tell. But it was loud, shrill, and one of fear and pain – she'd heard that scream very few times from Ashley, and this child almost seemed as if it were being tortured. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized she couldn't move from her spot, however, as if her feet were rooted to the floor. Everything felt odd again, vision tunneling to the point she had began to sink to her knees again. The carpet of the sanctuary hallway pressed against her face and she toppled sideways, trying to breathe, trying to remain conscious . . . ._

On the other side, Helen jerked awake screaming, the machines she was connected to going haywire the minute her eyes snapped open. Hands pressed down on either side of her, soothing voices barking out her name in an effort to get her calm down. It took her a moment to realize she was in the infirmary, the very real infirmary, clearly where she'd been taken when she'd passed out. Breathing heavily, Helen calmed herself, and blinked, taking in the faces of Will and Nikola on either side of her.

"Magnus, calm down and lie back." Will ordered and she obeyed with little hesitation.

"Sorry . . . nightmare." She murmured, bringing her hand to her temple. At least, she attempted to until she realized it was restricted by an IV line.

"Helen, look at me." Nikola said suddenly and she did so, frowning as he did.

"Nikola, what's going on? What happened?" She inquired, attempting to sit up, but he shoved her back down as Will moved away to do something on the other end of the room. She couldn't see quite what. She was distracted more so by Nikola as he continued to examine her eyes, tilting her head this way and that in order to get a better look at them. Helen furrowed her brows and attempted to pull away.

"What's wrong?"

"You're sick, Helen." He said slowly. "Demon spawn is already taking it's toll on your body. That pain you felt? Claws scratching down the inside of your body. You freaked out, so the baby freaked out. It responds to you, and apparently myself." He explained carefully. Her hands came to rest across her abdomen and she could feel a faint flutter as she felt something shift. A baby that small didn't normally move, but apparently demon spawn was having none of that.

"So that classifies me as sick?"

"You also passed out because your blood pressure bottomed out, then shot up to hell." Will replied as he came back to her side, a bag of what appeared to be blood in his hand. "Because your little demon baby likes blood just as much as Vlad here. It was taking yours. You've been losing it as fast as we can keep it in you."

"If you think I'm going to start drinking blood as a diet, you've got another thing coming." Helen muttered as she shifted into a more comfortable position, allowing Will to hook up the transplant of blood, letting it flow down her IV line and into her blood stream. Helen sighed.

"No, but perhaps it's time you had a taste of your own medicine and choked down some of my medication to see how it works." Nikola drawled and she rolled her eyes. Karma. Really. And it seemed he was going to rub it in her face. She would have smacked him if lifting her arm wasn't such an effort. Instead, she let her hands remain on the tiny swell of her abdomen, content for the moment as the baby settled.

"I'll go and fetch some, shall I?" Nikola grinned, clearly enjoying it far too much, but the hint of concern in his eyes was still there. He bent and pressed a kiss to her forehead before he left the room, leaving her alone with Will for the time being as he checked over the various monitors she had been hooked up to in her unconscious state.

"What the hell were you dreaming about, Magnus?" He asked. "You were freaking out in your sleep and started screaming . . . ."

"Just an old nightmare, is all." She replied calmly. While she'd never had that dream before, she couldn't understand why it had made her scream like that. Sure, she'd heard a child screaming – or perhaps she'd heard her own screams. Either way, she wasn't sure and thinking about it too in depth was giving her a headache. She shut her eyes a moment, finding it helped somewhat, but when she cracked them open again she found Will staring intently at her.

"What?"

"You look like hell."

"Oh, thanks." Helen nearly snorted.

"No, really Magnus. You're ridiculously pale because of how much life this thing is sucking out of you already. You expect to make it to full term?"

She frowned.

"Are you telling me to get rid of it, Will?" Helen inquired in a cautious, dangerously quiet tone that had Will back-pedaling the minute the words left her mouth. He opened and shut his several times before he managed to get his brain functioning enough to actually spit out words.

"No, I mean – Magnus, your eyes are black."

"What?"

"We don't know why. Henry and the Big Guy have been researching all they can about vampire pregnancies. They are few, very few, and even more so with hybrid ones. Something isn't right, and we can't figure out what it is." Will sighed.

"Then you'll keep pumping blood into my system to sustain it and myself, and we'll figure it out." Helen decreed calmly before letting her eyes slip shut again, hands resting protectively on her abdomen as a fresh blood supply carefully began to make it's way into her system, and effectively, to the child fluttering beneath her fingers. The sensation was odd, really, and one Helen would take some time to getting used to, especially if it reacted to her.

She'd understood it wouldn't be easy from the start, but had tried to push those thoughts aside and enjoy the days before it came to something like this. Clearly those were over, she realized with a soft sigh. Demon spawn would be springing up new problems right and left, even if it was only one quarter vampire. Hell, likely one half due to the amount of source blood in her own system. It was likely the only way she was even able to carry it to begin with, because of the source blood. Normal vampires were made of it. Seeing as she only had it mingled in her own blood, however, she'd expected sooner or later it would pose a problem.

Helen had shared much of it with Nikola, but he'd known. She'd seen the looks every other day, worried and concern that she tried to brush off countless time. So much for her argument in the library; after this, she'd be lucky to come out of her room at all, if Nikola had his way. The others were likely to take his side in it too, unfortunately for her. But after Nikola's little speech, Helen was more inclined to give in, for everyone's sake. Just this once.

Nikola returned with a glass of amber liquid and held it out to her, forcing her to open her eyes and sit up. Will had disappeared from her bedside again. She wrapped her fingers around the chilled glass and took a meager drink of it, surprised to find it tasted of apple juice. There was a bitter after-taste, though, that left a sour feeling in her mouth.

"All of it." He chided as she wrinkled her nose. Helen took another large drink of it, and continued until it was gone from the glass. He took it and set it on her bedside table as she fell back into her pillows. His hand came up to rest on her head, fingers gently massaging her scalp as he watched over her. She gave a half smile.

"I'm fine." She assured, reaching out to wrap her fingers around his. He shook his head.

"Only you, Helen." Nikola sighed. "You scared me. Please don't do that again."

"I will definitely try to control what my demon spawn does to me, then." She gave a nod and he gave a crooked grin. Helen adjusted and was rewarded with another shift of the four month old child growing inside of her. She'd come to the conclusion that most vampire mothers wouldn't feel the movement because of their skin, but to Helen it felt like a constant case of the butterflies had sprung to life.

"It's bigger than normal. Will was saying it's development will be complete about a month and a half before a normal pregnancy, and I'm inclined to agree, judging by the photos." Nikola was saying as his free hand drifted over her abdomen. The minute his fingers touched her skin, the baby gave a pleasant movement that made Helen giggle a moment.

"Can you feel it?" Helen inquired and he nodded.

"Oh, yes. Active little one, isn't is? Going to give us a run for our money in attempting to keep up with it once it learns to crawl, no doubt." Nikola teased and Helen found it refreshing. She had never imagined hearing Nikola even mention a child, but here he was, talking about it plain as day. About their child, no less. It made her smile as she watched him trace patterns across her stomach, entranced by it a moment. Every time he made a pattern, demon spawn followed, creating the sensation of more butterflies than ever. Helen tilted her head back and closed her eyes again, enjoying it for the time being.

Two days and Helen was able to leave the infirmary. The medication she had originally adapted for Nikola was part of her new diet with small doses twice a day, curbing the appetite of the baby to the point that she could keep blood replenished in her system enough to function. As she'd expected, however, they'd thrown her on bed rest. It wasn't entirely bad, however, as she had her laptop and Will brought half her files up from her office. He was taking care of any conferences and relaying information back and forth to her regarding major things, as well as part of her paperwork. He hadn't expected to take over her duties just yet, but Helen had faith he'd be able to manage without her for a few days while she adjusted to her new requirements in order to be able to care for demon spawn properly.

In the meantime when she didn't have work, however, Henry had brought her several books from the library with bits and pieces marked about vampire and hybrid pregnancies. As Nikola had said, they were few and far between, as was the information on them. Gestation was generally seven to eight and a half months, depending, and the baby thrived on whatever blood the mother consumed in her daily routine of feeding – clearly Helen hadn't been eating enough rare steak and it'd turned to her for it's food source. Helen only hoped when it finally did arrive in the world, it's appetite switched to something more human.

She was halfway through a passage about the development of claws and fangs when there was a knock at her bedroom door. Marking her spot, she called for them to enter, smiling when she saw it was Henry.

"Hey,Doc, I brought you a few more books." He nodded to the stack of three or four in his hand, setting them on her nightstand with the others she had yet to skim yet. The ones she had were stacked on the floor beside her.

"Thank you, Henry." She smiled in return and he nodded, fidgeting slightly. She arched a brow. "Something wrong?"

"I just think it's awesome I'm getting a little sibling." He blurted and Helen chuckled.

"I suppose you'll be teaching it the ways of hacking computers and html coding and the like?" She inquired and Henry gave a crooked grin, nodding.

"Oh, of course. Totally. Only the awesome things, though." He clarified and Helen chuckled, which was cut off as she gave a minor hiss. That time when the baby had shifted, it felt as if a claw had caught her. They'd determined they'd been retracted on and off, but apparently demon spawn was on it again. Henry's brow furrowed.

"Are you all right?"

"Just fine. Still trying to get used to my baby with sharp claws it all." She said and resettled. Henry fidgeted again and she reached toward him. "Sit down and give me your hand." She asked of him. She shoved her book out of the way for the moment and he sat down, allowing her to take his hand. She placed his palm where hers had been moments later.

"What are you -?" He began, but she shook her head and rested her own hand just near Henry's, tracing a pattern across briefly. She smiled when she felt demon spawn move in response, and the mild surprise on Henry's face as it moved beneath her hand.

"That's the kid?"

"Yes. Does that quite often." Helen mused. "I'm still not used to it."

"It doesn't hurt?"

"Only when it decides to have claws for a few hours. Otherwise it's just like any other normal child." She shrugged lightly before releasing his hand. He let it linger a moment longer before pulling away with a goofy grin. Helen smiled.

"What?"

"Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but this is the happiest I've seen you in ages." He fidgeted again and Helen studied him a moment. "I mean -! It's good to see you, uh, smile. You're radiant. It's . . . nice?" He offered, continuing. Helen chuckled softly and rested a hand against his cheek.

"Thank you, Henry." She smiled. "I understand what you mean."

She had noticed in herself, briefly, in her reflection the other day. She was practically glowing with a new sort of happiness that she'd associated with her pregnancy. Helen had seen it during her time carrying Ashley, and this time was no different. Perhaps she was simply fit to be a mother, it seemed. Then again, weren't all women? But she wasn't just 'all women'. She was a decades old scientist with a vampire as a lover and a half-breed child currently growing inside of her. Not that it mattered. Every life was sacred, abnormal or not.

"I'll let you read, then. I'll be back with more if we find anything." Henry assured after clearing his throat almost awkward. Helen pulled herself from her thoughts and managed a smile toward him before he slipped out of the room. Helen cast another glance toward the door before she settled back into her pillows, pulling her book back toward her. She paused, however, as she felt demon spawn come to life again with the same butterfly sensation she'd been feeling the past several days.

"You're going to keep us busy. I can already tell." She mused softly, tracing her fingers across the small bump that had somehow grown a bit in the past two days. Now that it was getting what it needed, she'd been warned the development would be a bit faster.

"But I promise we'll keep you safe." Helen continued suddenly, voice serious. "You have parents that love you and a family around you that will make sure you're taken care of should anything happen to me or your dad. Don't forget that." She soothed lightly and it's movements stilled. "We may not be perfect, but I think we can give it a shot. You'll have to ignore your dad sometimes though. He's crazy." She continued, smiling.

"He cares, though. He'll teach you everything you could want to know about inventions before you're six and you might get annoyed with him sometimes, but that's okay. I do too. He's worth keeping around though. He's never been a dad before, so you'll have to forgive him." Helen said, speaking in a tone as if she were speaking to a child right in front of her. Of course, she didn't expect demon spawn to hear or understand, but Helen had spoken to Ashley while she'd been a fetus, and she didn't want to neglect this little one either.

"And I care too. I'll be overprotective and neurotic and I'll love you far too much. You may hate me for it when you get older, but you'll understand why when you hear the stories of your older sister." Helen spoke. "And your older brother is just as excited. Play nicely with him, and no claws. That's not fair." She teased. "And you have Will and Kate and the Big Guy – all of us love you very much already. You're going to grow up in a very different world than what other children get to, but see it as an adventure. You'll be different, yes, but you get to experience things that not many others get the chance to see. I'll take you across the world and be back before bedtime when you're old enough. You'll experience our world, and others – you'll see the most beautiful museums and art galleries and stage shows – everything."

She heard the creak of a floorboard and looked up, surprised to see Nikola lingering in the doorway. She turned a faint shade of red.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know you think I'm crazy." He teased, pushing off the doorway to come toward her. He circled the bed and perched on the other side near her.

"I'm only teasing."

"Don't listen to your mother, demon spawn. She's a bad influence." Nikola said, gaze straying to her belly. Helen laughed and whacked him with a pillow.

"I'm trying to research, you know." She said and sat up a bit straighter, surprised at how still demon spawn had gotten. In the silence that stretched between them, however, it began to move again. Helen chuckled.

"I think it likes the sound of our voices. Recognizes us." Helen said. Nikola rested his hand against her abdomen without invitation – like he needed one as it stilled again. As the silence stretched on once more, it once more began to move. Nikola smirked.

"Good, demon spawn." He sat back and Helen adjusted again to find a more comfortable position. Nikola shifted with her, kicking off his shoes and climbing on top of the blankets to stretch out, hands tucked behind his head as he reclined against the pillow.

"We should start coming up with names, soon." Helen murmured as she pulled open the book she'd been on and found her marked place. "I've had a few run through my head, but not many." She added. "It would be nice for some input."

"Are we going old fashioned or no?"

"Depends on the name. I despise half the names from our era, so choose wisely." Helen replied, flipping the page as she scanned the text. Nikola glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, but shrugged.

"We can discuss it later. We have a while."

"What? After it's born? Try that stunt and I'll name it Thomas Edison."

He gasped. "You wouldn't!"

Helen smirked.

"Try me, Dracula." She teased, and barely caught the pillow that came flying at her face.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Again, sorry for the delay. College enjoys eating my life. I will try to update more frequently, but I'm not certain how well that's going to go. Enjoy.**_

Flashes of her nightmare from when she'd passed out continued to plague her throughout the nights, in the middle of her very vivid dreams. She never woke up screaming, however, so Helen attributed it to her hormones for the time being, hoping they would fade away fast enough since this was an abnormal pregnancy. Entering her fifth month, Helen found her nausea finally waning and her strength returning at certain points. With the combination of Nikola's medication and enough rest, she could manage to be in her office for a few hours during the day, even if it wasn't at her desk. She was getting most of her work done, leaving the rest for Will. Now, she and Nikola were attempting to unravel the mysterious bombing of her office while Helen soaked in the bath.

"It's someone who knows me, I've figured that much." Helen said, sinking further into the bubbles, letting the warm water and bath salts soak away the tension in her back and shoulders. The baby was content at the moment and unmoving, allowing her to relax for the time being without it fluttering around like a cluster of butterflies in her stomach. Nikola stood at the sink, examining his reflection a moment.

"Who knows how to bypass your security systems as well. Security systems I helped design, mind you." He muttered, disappointment that someone had actually gotten by hidden within his tone. Helen rolled her eyes.

"Beside the point, Nikola. It's figuring out who and why that we need to focus on. Henry's already finished upgrading and repairing the system by now, so we should be fine." Helen replied, gathering a handful of bubbles and watching them disappear one by one for a long moment. Nikola scowled.

"So it's someone you know. That narrows it down to half the world, Helen. You know everyone, in case that bath you're in has pruned your mind as well as your fingers." He cast a glance toward her. Helen flicked bubbles at him, which landed across the bottom of his pant-leg and turned the fabric dark in color. He arched an eyebrow at her and she smirked cheekily.

"Don't make me come in there." Nikola warned and she chuckled softly.

"Focus, Nikola. Honestly. You're impossible." Helen rolled her eyes, trailing her fingers through the water now.

"Are you certain you don't recognize the writing?" He inquired a moment later, leaning against the sink and folding his arms across his chest. He was watching her intently, clearly more than just the mysterious note on his mind.

"If I did, I would have said so." Helen countered. It bothered her, tugged at her mind. She knew that writing, but she couldn't place it no matter how hard she thought and figured and remembered. It was nagging at her, taunting her, and nearly driving her mad at several points. They'd examined every possible aspect of the note but there had been no prints, nothing hidden – it was a completely clean bit of paper with impeccable writing on it. Even a study on the ink revealed nothing.

"I've been thinking." He began, and by the tone Helen knew she wasn't going to like this idea. Nikola pushed away from the counter and stepped closer, perching on the edge of the tub, facing her. Helen looked up at him, studying the look, trying to decipher or gain any insight as to what he was about to say to her. Something inside her stomach – not demon spawn – twisted, and sank further.

"What?" She asked warily.

"You're absolutely positive you don't know of anyone that could want to harm you?"

"Nikola, I'm on the hate listings of several people, far too many. It could be any number of them." Helen scowled. His brow furrowed a moment.

"Perhaps we ought to lure them out."

She arched a brow.

"You have my attention."

He fidgeted slightly; whatever it was, he clearly didn't like his own pattern of thinking. Helen frowned at him and shifted in the tub, leaning forward to rest her arms and head on the lip of it, looking up at him. He studied her a moment, gazes meeting, then sunk to the ground beside the bath and wrapped a hand around one of hers.

"It's not safe, but it might be the only way we're able to get any sort of clues. They're going to look for times when you're completely alone if they wish to hurt you that badly, so perhaps you should go out alone a few times, see if anything crops up." He explained, tracing water droplets across the back of her hand. Helen frowned.

"You're saying I should use my own self as bait for this bloody bastard?" She inquired and Nikola nodded.

"I don't like the idea any more than you do but the children were discussing something like it and I figured I'd propose the idea to you since they seemed far too reluctant to do so." He muttered, rolling his eyes. "But you wouldn't be alone. We'd keep watch on you, you'd be armed, all the precautions would be taken care of." He continued. Helen watched his fingers tracing on her hand rather than looking at his face, silently mulling it over. It was an acceptable idea, yes, but she still didn't like it because it but her directly in the line of danger, and the baby as well. She wasn't entirely thrilled on the matter, but he did have a point. Perhaps her attacker would indeed show themselves, or at least try something in public and slip up to the point where they'd catch enough clues to corner the person behind it all.

"Tomorrow." She conceded. "I'll turn into any normal mother-to-be and go maternity shopping or something." Helen replied. While she still had most of her clothing from her pregnancy with Ashley, a lot of it had become outdated, and it gave her an excuse to go out.

"I'll even make a day of it." She added, lightly teasing. He gave a faint smile, clearly worried about her. Helen reached up and ran her hand through his hair, the droplets of water coming off to wet his hair and cause it to stick in several directions. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose before he stood.

"Suppose I ought to inform the children that mother is going along with their silly little plans. I'll be back to check on you." Nikola said and Helen nodded, watching as he left the bathroom. For a moment, she was left reflecting on just how domestic this all seemed. It was almost adorable, really, seeing Nikola in such a state. He genuinely did care for her, and for demon spawn, which made her feel all the more protected. He loved her, undying so, and Helen was slowly working on returning the feeling toward him. She loved him, that was for certain yes, but it was developing further, into something deeper than she ever imagined. The type of feeling she had once expected with John, but had only breached the surface of.

The flutter of a smile crossed her face before she pulled away from the edge of the bath and began to climb out to dry. The rest of the evening promised to be filled with planning and fulfilling her current craving for grapes and chocolate sauce.

The meeting was held in her office, naturally, and was rather short compared to some. They had worked out the mechanics of everything for the next day, and afterward they had all lingered, steering the conversation away from danger and toward demon spawn, who seemed more than content to be talked about, as it started to move the moment the conversation had switched. It was amusing, how aware it seemed to be, but Helen contributed it to just a coincidence.

It wasn't until she awoke to the feeling of being carried that she realized she'd fallen asleep.

"Go back to sleep, ljubav." Nikola murmured and she blinked, clearing her vision, and realized they were nearly to her bedroom. She instead snuggled against him, quite content in his arms for the time being.

"I have more work to finish." She muttered upon realizing it, letting out a soft sigh.

"Protégé promised to take care of it." He replied, shifting her easily so he could open the door. Helen said nothing, sleep still trying to reclaim her as he deposited her on the mattress. He peeled away her clothing and tugged one of his shirts onto her torso for the time being, pressing a kiss to her abdomen. She smiled tiredly and he pressed another kiss to her throat, one to her cheek, and one on her lips.

"Very loving this evening, aren't you?" She mused, cracking an eye open to look at him. He chuckled as he peeled away his own clothing and crawled into bed with her. Helen waited until he had gotten settled before turning and curling up next to him in her usual way. He wrapped his arm snug around her waist, pulling her close and burying his face in her hair.

"I love you." He murmured and she smiled faintly. Again, Helen thought back to her earlier thoughts of domesticity. Perhaps if she wasn't the leader of an entire network dedicated to protecting creature that weren't supposed to exist and he wasn't a half vampire (nor she immortal), things would almost seem . . . normal. They could be any other couple expecting a child, very happily together and very much in love. While Helen didn't have a ring on her finger – and while she had no doubts Nikola would be willing to put one there at any time, she didn't feel like she needed one to prove her love.

"I love you too." Helen said. It was still something she was getting used to saying again, and she was hoping it didn't come out too awkward sounding. Apparently it didn't, because Nikola merely pulled her closer.

"I talked to Henry today. You know what he asked me?" Nikola inquired a moment later and Helen made a soft noise in question.

"What?"

"When we were getting married."

Helen felt her entire body react, part of her stiffening at the thought, startled at the idea seeing as it had just been something in her mind a few moments prior. Nikola, sensing this, chuckled softly.

"Calm down. He meant it as a joke." He replied. "But it did get me thinking."

"Oh?" She managed quietly, staring at the bedspread. Nikola's fingers danced along her abdomen, teasingly, and thankfully demon spawn seemed to remain sleeping for the time being and was unaware to it's father ministrations.

"Did you want to marry me, Helen?" Nikola asked and she heard the vulnerability leak back into his tone. Even if she wasn't facing him, she could tell he was somewhat wary of the topic, but she supposed it was something to be discussed.

"Are you asking?" She deflected.

"If I am?"

So they were dancing around the topic, apparently, and a faint smile crossed her lips.

"I tried the whole 'getting married' thing once, Nikola, and it ended in disaster." Helen began carefully. "I know you're not John, I know. I just . . . ." She trailed off, not entirely certain where she was going with it for the moment. Her mind was still addled with sleep and was trying to pull her back under. This was not a conversation she needed to be having at the moment.

"You could have just said 'no'." He muttered, somewhat deflated. Helen sighed, twisting in his arms to face him. He was always so testy and easily heartbroken in this state. She rested a hand against his cheek, drawing his gaze up to meet hers.

"I never said no. It's more of a . . . 'not right now'. With everything going on, I just don't think it wise to be planning a wedding on top of it all." Helen amended quietly. "After the baby is born, I should think. Once we're settled as parents, perhaps." She continued. "While I don't need a ring on my finger to make me yours, if you want to get married, I'll marry you, Nikola. Just after everything is over and we've hit a sense of normalcy again."

He smiled and kissed her briefly.

"I'll hold you to that." Nikola murmured. "Then we can have all the children we want. My lucky number is three."

"You're pushing it now." She grumbled. "You won't live to marry me if you don't let me get some sleep." Helen added, burying her face in his chest, trying to block everything out to let sleep reclaim her again.

"Goodnight, Mrs. Tesla."

"Like hell I'll be taking your name, either."

Early the next morning, Helen was already up and running, wearing light clothes for the bright, spring day. She drove into the shopping district in one of her nicer, normal cars with sunglasses covering her eyes and a large bag thrown over her shoulder. While most would not recognize her, she'd made it very easy for whoever did know her to pick her out and follow her, should they want to – which was what the plan was. Lure out the one trying to kill her. It was putting others in danger, but Helen was hoping her team would be able to stop anything bad from occurring. She was relying on them.

Her first stop was the large clothing store just off the new strip mall they'd fit in between several of the older buildings. It looked entirely out of place and Helen had never been in it, but it was large enough to lose herself inside if needed. She made a beeline for maternity clothing, acting like any other expecting mother – though, she rationed she was the only one carrying a half-vampire child.

But she was quite certain that if one more person touched her stomach without asking her permission, Helen was going to fling them across the room. She was already wary, so having the strange women also shopping and the salesclerks helping them touching her, all strangers, did not help. So far during her daunting shopping task there had been no signs of their mysterious attacker. Helen was strangely happy about it, as she didn't exactly want to have a throw down in the middle of a maternity department or baby furniture store. Seeing a pregnant woman put a man on the ground and whip out a gun might be enough to send several other expecting ladies into early labor anyway, and that was not something she wanted to deal with.

After buying several outfits that weren't in any hideously pastel shades or made her look like a deflated blimp, she tossed the bags in the back of the car and went for lunch at the café on the corner. Halfway through her mug of tea and salad, her cell phone rang and she gave a faint smile when she saw the name.

"Checking up on me, sweetie?" She inquired, pressing the phone to her ear.

"_Magnus_." Came Will's voice from the other end and she chuckled.

"Yes?"

"_There's been no signs since we've started tracking you. Kate's not noticed anything peculiar about anything. Perhaps you should call it a day_." He said. Helen chanced a glance to her left, where Kate sat on a bench just outside the park that the café was across the street from. Kate had been following her at a far distance most of the day, while Henry had hacked into security cameras and traffic cameras to follow her from there. They were all perched in a van several blocks away. Nikola had remained behind at the sanctuary, just in case.

"I think I might. I'm exhausted, my feet are killing me, and I've so much to do when I get back home." She continued to keep up her appearances, just in case. She sounded like any other wife who had plenty of housework – though she did in fact have work, it was hardly of the domestic kind.

"_We'll meet you at Vine Street then follow you the rest of the way back to the sanctuary_." Will said.

"See you then. Love you." She smiled brightly into the phone. She could hear Will snort on the other line before hanging up. She grinned to herself before pocketing her phone again and finishing off her meal. She threw enough money down to pay for the meal and left a generous tip before she stood and gathered her bag, setting off for her car in the neighboring parking lot. Her sunglasses pulled back down over her face, she searched for her car keys in her bag.

As she headed toward Vine Street, she glanced in her rearview mirror, surprised to see a darkly tinted car following her. Helen frowned, digging around for her phone in her bag again. She dialed Will's number and pressed it to her ear, glancing again behind her.

"_Magnus_?"

"Will, I'm being followed. I can't tell who it is, just be on guard. I'll be passing you in just a minute."

"_We see you, and them. Just head back to the sanctuary and we'll trap them in_." Will replied and she nodded, more to herself, as she sped past the van where Henry, Will, and likely now Kate were perched. Helen dropped her phone back into her bag and took another glance behind her, furrowing her brow when she realized the car had disappeared.

Her gaze, however, had lingered too long and now she heard the sounds of a horn blaring. She whipped her head back around just in time to see the front grill of a car slam into the passenger's side door. Her scream died in her throat as she felt the car jerk and flip and skid and all sorts of other actions that slammed her into the side panel of her door and caused her to hit her head on a few various things. She clenched her eyes and tried to focus on anything else as the car continued to move, carried onward by the force of the other car, who, for some reason, she realized, had yet to hit the brakes. Her head slammed into the window and she felt it crack. Everything in her body hurt and protested at the movements and she felt viciously ill suddenly, which made her then think of the baby.

_Oh dear God_.

The next thing she was aware of was a violent pain radiating from every which direction as bright lights passed above her – the tell-tale sign of a hospital. Doctor's faces flooded her vision, weaving in an out, but Helen was far too disoriented and in far too much pain to linger on consciousness for too long.

She slipped into the inviting darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Let it be known that I am not a fan of this chapter and I admit it could have been written better, but I wanted to get it out before I went on Spring Break. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews I've been getting so far!**

Time had seemed to slow down as Helen watched her life pass before her eyes. Whether it was some dream or she had already died and was seeing it play out before her she wasn't certain. But as she watched her life events unfold before her, through the eras, something struck her during the beginning, near the time they had been fiddling with the source blood. The briefest flash of a letter, an inquiry, but then it was gone and Helen was swarmed with more memories of the Five and beyond. The onslaught was almost painful to witness, reliving the deaths of those around her, seeing them fall as she continued on, forever immortal.

As the memories began to fade and soon only flashes of faces clouded her mind, she became aware of a dull pain enveloping her entire body and a few vague sounds that again clued her in that she was in a hospital. She was very aware that it wasn't her own infirmary at the sanctuary, and Helen remembered why when the most recent memories flashed forward and the presence of an ambulance, sirens, and everything else appeared in her mind's eye. Panic suddenly engulfed her, but she found that her body was unresponsive to any of the actions her mind was telling it to do. Hell, her eyes weren't even opening. More panic seized her. She couldn't be dead. It wasn't possible.

Suddenly it felt like a damn broke and she could feel her limbs moving, perhaps not erratically as she had intended in her panicked, state, but enough. Feeling other than the dull pain filtered through including the familiar tightness of bandages wrapped in various places on her body. Her eye lids snapped open and she nearly shut them again as they were assaulted by the viciously bright light. Hands were on her then, not familiar hands, but the cold, unyielding hands of doctors and nurses who were telling her to calm down. She heard her own heart rate reflected in the beeping of the machine to her left, telling her that it was increasing with every second she fought back against the nurses. For a fleeting moment, rage flooded through her and her strength against them increased; she lashed out, attempting to shove all of them away and get the hell out of the hospital. She'd never liked them, never taken too kindly to the strange doctors.

But she remembered. The writing. She knew it. The name was on the tip of her tongue. Why couldn't she say it? Her eyes snapped open again, this time prepared for the light, and she became aware that one of them was injecting a drug into her IV line, the others holding her hands down so she couldn't fight it off. Helen continued to struggle against them. They didn't understand. She needed out. She needed to speak to Nikola, to Will, to Henry, anyone who was going to listen. She _knew_.

However, as the sedative began to filter through her blood stream and her movements became sluggish, the nurses lowered her back onto the bed. They were saying soothing words to her but everything sounded as if she were submerged in water. Helen attempted to fight off the sedative in her blood, but it was far too powerful and she was forced to succumb to sleep once more, launching herself back into a swirling mess of memories.

When she awoke next, it was in a much calmer manner and it was far less bright. If she had to guess, it was the early hours of the morning, far before the sun was due to rise. But as she took in her surroundings, Helen realized it was not quite a hospital room. It looked like one, yes, but things were simply . . . off, about it. It wasn't the sanctuary infirmary, either. Her brow furrowed and she attempted to sit up, but the dull pain briefly increased and inflamed across her body, forcing her back down again. Confusion marred her face. What on earth?

And then, she remembered being sedated. Before that, the name that had been lingering on the tip of her tongue. Panic flared in her chest once more but it didn't send her into a frenzy as it had last time – she had to remember to keep it together, otherwise the baby got upset and made everything far worse. She rested a hand across her abdomen, feeling it move briefly, but otherwise settle as Helen tried to control her emotions for a long moment.

The writing. It all made sense now that she remembered the sleek cursive that had turned into an erratic chicken-scratch in a letter she had once received. A hate letter, one from the only man who could hate her more than anything else in the entire world.

And as the door to the room swung open and Adam Worth stepped in, Helen's knowledge was confirmed. She glowered at him, unable to do much else since she was hooked up to hindering machines and her wrists had been shackled to the bed. He wore one of those eerie grins of his.

"Let me go, Adam. Now."

"Right to the point, are we?" He chuckled, nearing her bed. "I think not, Helen. After all, you owe me something." He reached over and pressed a rough hand against her abdomen through the hospital gown she had been dressed in and Helen attempted to jerk away from him. He smirked, and then his look turned cold as his hand drifted up to close around her neck, pressing her back into the pillows.

"You took my daughter from me, Helen, so I'll be taking your child instead. A child for a child, a life for a life." Adam grinned in an absolutely devilish way as Helen struggled to draw air into her lungs. She flailed as best as she could, pulling against her restraints. Adam pulled away a moment later.

"You gave my doctors quite a scare. Eyes all black and scary. Interesting what a vampire pregnancy does, isn't it?" He tilted his head at her.

"I've already lost a daughter, Adam. Haven't you tortured me enough with her death?"

"You deserved that. You deserve this." He snarled, nearing her face again. A harsh look overcame Helen's features as she pressed herself back to the bed away from him. "I was so afraid the car had hit you much too hard, you know." He switched subjects. "You almost died for a bit there. I was worried."

So he'd intentionally caused her to crash. He'd been the one behind everything – she saw it now, and understood why. He was the type who could easily hack the sanctuary systems in order to bypass them. He was capable of building such a bomb like the one that had destroyed her office. He was capable of this, all of this, and now he was quite capable of stealing her child away from her. Helen wouldn't have it.

As he circled her bed, she twisted and lashed out with the leg that wasn't completely bandaged, ignoring the protest half of her body gave. She nailed Adam in the gut with a glower and he stumbled back, doubled over a long moment before he launched himself back at her, removing a syringe from his pocket.

"I think it's time you went back to sleep, _Helen_." He snarled her name, face inches from her own as he grabbed her by the throat again. With one hand he plunged the needle into her restrained arm, to hell with the IV, and pushed the plunger down with a wicked smirk.

"Sweet dreams, _mommy_." He hissed as the sedative began to take effect and her eyes rolled back, sleep claiming her again.

For only God knew how long, Helen swam in an endless sleep with strange dreams and memories cropping up to play in her mind like movies. Every once in a while she would almost pull from it at the sound of voices, but they made sure to keep her unconscious for as long as possible. Helen had lost track of days in her drug induced sleep, and could only worry in her mind about the fate of her baby. Every once in a while she would feel a movement, even a strong kick, and she worried it was getting stronger. Were they doing something to the baby? Helen wanted nothing more than to wake up, jerk free, and go home, but the drugs would barely allow her to think straight let alone move at all. Not to mention fighting your way out of a place that housed someone like Adam Worth was a bit harder when you were sporting a pregnant belly.

She could do nothing for the time being as she hovered in her sleeping state, slumbering on. The dreams were becoming less, replaced by nothing but pitch blackness that felt more suffocating than anything. Helen continually attempted to fight it until she was too mentally exhausted to fight it any longer. At least she felt no pain in this state, but she was left with an overwhelming sense of dread. They were going to _take her child_. Adam was, at least. Rage fueled her then, the more she thought about it. Like hell they were taking her baby, her demon spawn, not if she had anything to say about it.

Helen was surprised when it finally began to wear off, and she felt herself coming from the throes of sleep. Hazily she blinked her eyes open, aware that it was the middle of the night, judging by lamp being on beside her and the darkness outside. She shifted and furrowed her brow when she felt something off, something new, something different, and noticed the swell of her abdomen was much more prominent. She could feel the baby moving; it was far more active now. Impatient thing Adam was, he'd given her something so the baby would develop much quicker. Helen bet it was why she'd been asleep all this time. A frown ghosted across her face as she sat up, glad to see at least some of her injuries had healed in the few days she'd been out.

An overwhelming sense of . . . . everything swirled across her mind and nearly made her ill. She felt rushed and a new panic about being a mother again flooded her senses. She'd had more time, but clearly not now. As her first order of business in preparing for the arrival of her child, however, she intended to get the hell out of whatever place they had her kept in. She blinked, fighting off the last bits of sleep. She needed to get to Nikola. She tried to keep her emotions in control as best as she could, well aware her child could likely feel every bit of panic that she felt, which likely explained why it was far more active. Her entire body felt weak, but she assumed Adam had been giving her some sort of medication that prevented the baby from stealing her own blood to survive. Now, it felt like demon spawn was indeed drawing on her own blood; perhaps the doctors hadn't been to see her in quite some time. Helen wondered why.

Sitting up a bit more, she began to pull herself free from wires and the IV line, disabling the machines so they wouldn't go off or hopefully set off any sort of alarms like they would in any other hospital. A dull throb had inhabited her limbs where they had been bandaged, a throb that matched her current heartbeat. She pushed it to the back of her mind for the time being and instead climbed out of bed, on her own two feet. The hospital gown fell awkwardly around her legs because of her new weight, and Helen found it slightly alarming how different it suddenly felt. She'd carried the weight before, but it was still new. Again, she felt as if she had more time. But clearly that wasn't an option now.

She crept to the door, one hand resting on said abdomen as she pressed her head to the door, listening for any signs of movement. She heard nothing on the other side and took the chance, twisting the knob, and was surprised to find it unlocked. This was far too easy, her mind instantly blared, but she didn't question it at the time being. If she could get out, she was going to get out while she could. She stuck her head out the door, glancing up and down a long, deserted hallway that did remind her of a hospital. She tried to think of any location in Old City that might be set up in such a way. Nothing came to mind and she shook her head, finding that most of her thinking was being impaired by the drugs still in her system and the distraction of demon spawn.

Barefoot and slightly chilled, Helen stepped into the hallway, then quickly began to make her way toward the left. She kept herself near the wall as she took a steady pace toward the end of the hall. It curved around a corner that she had her hopes on.

She was forced to pause, however, as she became aware of a sharp pain radiating down her spine and across her abdomen. It was a horrific pain, one that nearly sent her almost instantly to her knees. The second one that hit her only moment later did, and Helen found herself leaning against the wall, sliding to the floor in pain. Her hands splayed across her stomach as she became acutely aware that she had been sent into premature labor – well, not so premature since the baby had been forced to develop much faster than normal. A sheen of sweat appeared along her skin and panic engulfed her once more, especially when she became aware of the footsteps along the hall. Helen's hands shot out along the wall, looking for something, anything to defend herself with, but her hands found nothing. She was alone and very unarmed, and now suffering the contractions from hell. It literally felt as if her body was being ripped apart, split in two, and for a moment she wasn't aware of the world past her own skin.

She curled her hands into tight fists, prepared to defend herself in any way she could for the time being. Another contraction ripped through her body.

"Not now, sweetie. Please not now. Mommy needs to get a few things done first." She breathed, praying her child would listen to her, however doubtful it seemed. She pressed herself back against the wall, leaning her head back slightly, listening. The footfalls were growing faster, louder, coming from around the corner. Helen scowled, pushing past the pain a moment as she pushed off the wall and used it to climb to her feet.

"Magnus!" There was a shout she distinctly recognized as Will. Confusion marred her face, as she'd been expecting Adam. Instead, it was Will, Nikola, and Kate that rounded the corner and came skidding toward her, all of them looking a bit worse for wear. Helen sat there, stunned a moment, until another pain swept through her and she sunk back to the floor, face contorted in pain.

"Nikola!" She cried, reaching for him, vulnerable as the pain nearly overtook her. Her fingers closed around the fabric of his shirt as he neared her. Will and Kate were saying things, but Helen was withdrawing in on herself again.

"We're going to get you out of here, Helen. Hang on." He murmured softly and she twisted unwillingly in his arms as he lifted her up with ease.

"Niko . . . " She hissed between clenched teeth. Even saying his name completely was now hurting. Everything hurt. Her body was falling apart. Her spine was crumbling and the world was ending and she was positive that she was dying.

"Adam . . ." She tried again and he shushed her as he carried her at a quick pace through the halls, Will and Kate running ahead.

"We know. He's long gone. We'll find him." Nikola spoke in quick, short sentences, the muscle in his jaw jumping. He was clearly worried, if not slightly panicked over Helen's certain state. Another pain sent Helen's body twisting in his again and she clung tight to him, unable to do much else besides biting back cries of pain. The color of the wall and the way Nikola's hands splayed across her back were starting to annoy her because of reasons, and the way the sweat was rolling off her skin positively infuriated her.

"And we haven't even picked out a name yet." Helen ground out, flinching at the bright sunlight as they broke out of the building. Nikola gave a forced little laugh.

"Doesn't look like we have much time. We're about to be parents whether we're ready or not."

"We've got this, Nikola. I have faith." She managed and then her back arched as the sharp pain raked down the inside of her abdomen. Oh, yes, the baby was quite ready to come into the world, clearly.

"I'm glad one of us does."


	8. Chapter 8

_**A bit on the short side, I know, but I've got other things in store for the next few chapters. I've already decided that, with enough interest, there might be a tiny sequel to this story once I finish it. I've got a vague idea in mind. Y'all will just have to let me know your thoughts on it. Enjoy! Tesla-cookies (which seem to be the popular currency here) to all who review!**_

She was impossibly small, was Nikola's first thought and unbeknownst to him, Helen had mirrored the same thought in her own mind upon seeing her. Impossibly small fingers and toes and the darkest tuft of hair he had ever seen, which just didn't want to lay flat. He was quite certain he'd never seen something so fragile to the point where he was afraid to touch her, afraid she might somehow break apart in his hands no matter how gentle he tried to be. Awe was the perfect word to describe his current state, a state he felt perfectly at ease in. There were no worries about Adam, no worries about failing as a parent, nothing but utter bliss as he studied the daughter he had helped create. He was surprised at how alert she seemed to be, with sharp blue eyes staring at him expectantly and her tiny fingers curled around one of his in a rather strong grip.

The first hour of her life had been hectic, practically insane as Helen had passed out halfway to the sanctuary and had started to seizure, a side-effect of the drugs that had been pumped into her system and of the baby's arrival – the little girl hadn't wanted to wait a moment longer. Helen had remained unconscious while a caesarian section had been performed and completed, their daughter whisked away instantly before either could see her. Helen had awakened briefly but due to the amount of pain relievers and the like in her system, she'd promptly fallen back asleep again. Nikola was waiting for the time she would wake up, and doing so was cherishing the hour or so alone he was getting with his daughter.

She yawned, fingers releasing his own as she shifted in his arms and attempted to get comfortable, eager to sleep after being active for a good two hours. She would need the rest, he knew, as the others would be in to see her later as soon as Helen had recovered and bonded with the baby as well. At least she didn't seem to be such a demon any longer, he also noted with an amused smile as she curled up in his arms and closed her eyes, settling in for sleep. A demon in disguise once she got older, perhaps, but nothing this innocent was capable of being a demon. Impossible. Then again, she was an impossible child. A vampire, partially, and the rest utter perfection. Horrifically sentimental thoughts from his own mind, yes, Nikola was aware but when faced with the thing that was now very real and now very much his responsibility of raising properly to face the world – well, he couldn't help but be just the tiniest bit emotional. He'd likely deny it to all except in the face of Helen.

"Sophia," He murmured and ran his now free finger down her rosy cheek and back up, brushing against the edge of the pink hat that covered the black tufts of hair that covered her head. Before Helen had passed out, he'd discussed names with her in a last ditch effort to keep her talking and conscious. While they had agreed some time ago the middle name was to be James either way, it had been Sophia they'd agreed on and Sophia that their little girl had officially been named. Sophia James Magnus. Sophia James Tesla. He wasn't exactly certain how that'd work out in the end. She was his either way and no one, not even bloody Adam Worth was going to take that away from him.

But Adam was gone for now. He didn't understand why. They'd gone through the trouble of kidnapping Helen and doing all of this to her, only to disappear – but not before dropping an anonymous tip as to her location. It was easy, far too easy, and Nikola didn't know what sort of game he was playing, but knew for certain that he wasn't done. He was never done. Which made him want to protect his daughter even more. For a moment, he couldn't fathom how someone could cause harm to something so small, something so fragile that even he was afraid he'd break her – but he knew she was likely far stronger than she looked. Her vampire genes wouldn't kick in for quite some time, he knew, but she was hardly the fragile little being if she had been doing such damage to Helen.

"You're going to be a hellion when you get older." He muttered and her eyes flickered back open, reacting to his voice. He smiled. "Rest, little one. Especially since you have to put up with your neurotic mummy later."

"I am not neurotic." Helen mused as she came up beside him, voice still thick with sleep. Sophia's gaze sought out her mother, whose voice she had yet to hear outside of the womb. Nikola chuckled as she rested her head against his shoulder, reaching up to brush a finger gently down Sophia's cheek.

"Want her?" He offered but she shook her head.

"I'm afraid I'll drop her in this state." She murmured, seemingly content with just tracing patterns up and down her cheek, along her jaw-line, and down to her tiny chin. She seemed just as pleased with Sophia as Nikola was, but she'd been through this before. He hadn't. He wondered if she'd felt all of this at Ashley's birth. He didn't dare ask, however, too afraid that Helen would associate Sophia with Ashley and it would just all go downhill from there. Thankfully Sophia had taken more to his looks than Helen's – something that instantly boosted his ego and he would rub in Helen's face teasingly at a later date.

"Cherish your time with her now. By morning we'll have to share her with everyone in the network." Helen said, sounding somewhat disappointed at this. Sophia curled closer to his chest, little fingers latching back on to the wrinkled fabric.

"How unfortunate." He replied. She was right. First it would just be the ones around the Old City sanctuary, but soon there would be heads calling in from all over the world, eager for news on the little one. It wasn't every century that the leader of the entire network had a child, after all. Nikola was somewhat possessive of his daughter already. Perhaps he'd just whisk her away to some secluded room in the building tomorrow and have her all to himself. Helen, too. She deserved the rest.

"Seeing as you have things under control here . . . ." She trailed off lightly, withdrawing her hand from Sophia as she fell asleep. "I'm going to follow her example and get rest. You should, too." She warned with a wry smile. "It'll be a while before you get any again."

"Vampire, remember?" Nikola said, sneaking a quick kiss to her cheek before she slipped away, back toward her infirmary bed. While Nikola was unwilling to depart from Sophia, he knew she likely needed to sleep on something softer than his arms. Besides, he needed to change and go tell everyone that everything was fine, and blah, blah, blah. He could have cared less, but he felt like playing nice today, but only because of the rather lovely mood Sophia's appearance had put him in. While Nikola was still apprehensive that she had arrived this early, he was suddenly filled with the slightest bit of hope that he could at least manage to raise his daughter into something acceptable, with Helen's help of course. Plus, the entire network was at her feet, probably willing to do anything for any offspring of Magnus'.

But as Nikola left the mother and daughter sleeping in the infirmary under the hairy beast's watchful eye, he couldn't help but think of Ashley once more. How she had turned out, all leather and guns like her mother. He didn't want that dangerous, risky life for Sophia. It was dangerous enough with the fact that he and Helen were her parents, but she didn't need to be holding a gun by the time she was thirteen and off running errands for abnormal soon after.

The strong sense of overwhelming protection he had suddenly developed in the last hour for her would make him stand firm on the matter. Certainly she could be exposed to the abnormals – the nicer, not-murderous ones – and know about them without having to hunt them down. He would much prefer her to be a writer or inventor or something much smoother and less-frightening. She could be anything she liked – a doctor or scientist even – just not the damned abnormal hunter. It had ultimately been Ashley's demise, and Nikola would not have it for Sophia. He already wasn't looking forward to the day he would be telling his little girl about her older half sister that she never got to meet because of the hateful group that had indirectly caused her death with their experimenting.

"Hey! Tesla!"

His head snapped up to look at Henry, pulling himself from his thoughts long enough to actually recognize the young man who had come around the corner up ahead.

"Wolf-boy." Nikola greeted with a smirk.

"Well?" He asked, looking very much like an excited little puppy as he rolled back on the balls of his feet.

"I suppose I ought to tell you that you've a little sister now." Nikola drawled and Henry grinned brightly and out of nowhere hugged Nikola tightly. Nikola, unused to that sort of contact, faltered slightly and froze. Henry, sensing what he'd done, took an awkward step back and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh . . uh, sorry, dude. Just got a bit . . . excited." He shrugged as Nikola straightened his jacket.

"Yes, well, I'm sure it's . . . understandable." He conceded, knowing only minutes before he'd been smiling just the same as Henry was now. He couldn't help it. "But I wouldn't bother them right now. They're asleep."

"Right. I was just . . . I'll see them later, yeah?" He asked, somewhat hopefully. The puppy look returned to his face and Nikola chuckled quietly.

"If you must."

Nikola managed to make it to his – well, his and Helen's now – room, where he changed into something less wrinkled and freshened up, rubbing away any smells of the infirmary, displeased with the way they lingered on him. He wrinkled his nose at the very thought. As he studied his reflection in the mirror, his mind briefly drifted back to Adam.

He didn't understand it. Why had Adam let them both go so easily? There was more to it, he knew, but what? He was worried, very much so. Perhaps he could whisk Helen away into hiding, get her somewhere safer than the obvious sanctuaries. Somewhere in the woods or the mountains or the rural country, just away from Adam. She wouldn't agree to the plan, obviously, but maybe he could convince her to take a vacation, away from it all, and bring Sophia along. Nikola had already engraved in his mind that he was going to protect them at all costs, it was just figuring out what Adam's next move was before he made it so he could prevent any harm from coming to Helen and Sophia. He sighed and ran a hand over his face. There was no easy solution, that was for certain, except to not let either of his girls out of his sight for very long.

Later that evening once Helen had awakened completely and Sophia had been fed for the first time, Nikola stood by and watched as his daughter was adored by the children, Henry especially. Nikola could sense the same sort of protection in him as he himself felt toward his daughter, and then and there Nikola knew that Henry would do anything to protect his little sister. Perhaps the wolf-boy wasn't that bad after all. Smart, too. There was use for him yet.

"Feeling better?" Nikola inquired quietly, lifting Helen's hand to his lips for a lingering kiss on her knuckles. He stood faithfully by her bedside, glancing between her and Sophia quite frequently.

"Much." Helen replied, resting her head against his arm. "But I'm still worried."

"Everything will be fine. Nothing's going to happen." He reassured quietly, though he wasn't certain if he was trying to reassure Helen or himself more. She seemed to accept this response, at least for a moment.

"I want her with one of us at all times. I don't even want her sleeping in a separate room right now." Helen murmured, her gaze on Sophia now as Henry toyed with tufts of her hair and spoke to her in low tones, Will and Kate on either side of him, clearly all of them just as fascinated with the baby as Nikola had been hours before.

"She's safe here, Helen. Safe, protected, and very much loved." He said.

"But for how long?"

Making sure the others were still distracted with his daughter, he turned to Helen, placing hands on her shoulders. Tenderly, he reached up and brushed hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear.

"Helen, listen to me. You're the one who said we can do this, so take your own advice, all right? Secondly, we've upgraded the systems and triple-locked them with massive firewalls and all sorts of other protections. There is no one getting in or out of this building without our permission. In the meantime, yes, we'll keep an eye on her and protect her as we can."

Helen studied his face for a moment, then nodded once.

"I'm out of this bed and I'm already being over-protective." She said with a soft, almost forced little chuckle. Nikola returned her small smile with one of his own.

"Not always a bad thing. I've already decided there'll be no dating until she's fifty."

This earned a larger smile from Helen, who finally seemed to rest a bit easier. Nikola released her shoulders and straightened, turning his gaze back onto the others, who were still clearly holding his daughter hostage from her parents. He had half a mind to go and take her back, but refrained from doing so.

After all, he had the next eternity and beyond to spend with her.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Well, it's been a while, hasn't it! Sorry for the delay, but I am now out of college so I'm hoping updates might come a bit faster to this story and another I've forgotten called Fragments. As always, I love reviews because they make me smile like a giddy fool.**_

"_You know what's funny?"_

_Helen turned, frowning at the figure of Adam standing in the middle of the sanctuary corridor. She glanced behind her briefly, then back to the sadistic little man. _

"_How did you get in my house?"_

"_No matter how hard you try, Helen," He crooned, stepping toward her until he was inches from her. He reached up and with a sweep of his arm, knocked her back into the wall. His hand clasped around her throat and pinned her there, his face moving in close to hers as she struggled for breath. _

"_She will be mine." He snarled, continuing to choke her as she attempted to fight back. Her body wasn't responding and panic flooded her chest. Her hands clawed at Adam's, trying to peel his hand away. Blackness wavered at the edge of her vision –_

- Helen jerked awake, inhaling sharply and panic flooding her entire chest as it had been in her dream. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness in her bedroom as she tried to calm herself before she launched into a panic attack. The nightmares had been coming frequently since Sophia had been born, a warning if Helen had ever seen one. Whether they were productions of her own mind or if Adam had done something to her head to allow her to see that sort of thing, they were keeping her from sleeping at night. They'd given her a preliminary scan that had showed nothing in her head or anywhere else in her body for that matter, which made her wonder if her stress and worry over her daughter was just getting to her.

As she moved to climb out of bed to go and check on Sophia, the arm around her waist tightened and drew her back. Lips pressed against her neck and shoulder reassuringly.

"She's fine, Helen." Nikola murmured, hand splayed across her hip. Helen rolled over to study him, furrowing her brow as he stared at her with a knowing look. "It was just a dream. Go back to sleep."

"I just want to check on her." Helen protested tiredly, attempting to push away but his grip remained strong on her and prevented her from moving more than a few inches. She ground her teeth together and twisted to glare at him. "Let go."

"We both know very well that you're going to get out of this bed, check on her, see that she's completely fine, and then be up the rest of the night." Nikola replied in a quiet tone, seemingly unaffected by her gaze. "It's been your routine for a week. How do you know that isn't what he wants, Helen? Exhaust you to the point that you're useless in defending her when the time comes?" He continued. "You have the baby monitor for a reason – if she cries, you'll hear. Right now, she's sleeping and do you really want to chance waking her up?"

Helen scowled and huffed, but fell back onto her pillow dejectedly. She hated to admit it, but Nikola was right on all accounts. She tried to shift her mind to other thoughts, but she was awake now and it was no use getting back to sleep, even if she did stay in bed.

"Stop it." Nikola growled. "Go to sleep."

"I can't and you very well know it, as you've just so kindly finished stating." Helen said a bit more harsher than she intended, rolling over so that her back was to him and she was curled against her pillows rather than his warm body. She huffed and she could practically hear him roll his eyes at her, but said nothing. Instead, her gaze found a particularly interesting spot on the opposite wall to stare at for the time being.

Nikola sighed heavily, thumb tracing circles over the fabric covering her hip bone. She relented and shifted into his warm embrace, feeling his chest press against her back in a comforting position. Her hand found his along her hip and she interlaced her fingers tightly with his, letting out a soft sigh.

"You worry too much. Perhaps I ought to drug you to get you to sleep."

"Even attempt to and I'll shoot you in both kneecaps." She warned, squeezing his fingers. Nikola chuckled, lips pressing another kiss to her shoulder before he suddenly moved and had tugged her to the middle of the bed, Nikola hovering above her.

"I don't think you're capable of such a thing. You love me far too much." He grinned and Helen rolled her eyes.

"Your ego is almost too large for this room let alone the sanctuary. Don't let me add to it." She muttered, not protesting as much as she should have when his lips captured hers for a fleeting moment. His hands trailed up along her side, slipping beneath the shirt she had worn to bed. "And as much as I'd love to substitute this for sleeping, I'm exhausted enough as is, Niko." Helen added as an afterthought. He chuckled again.

"If only. I'm only trying to distract you long enough to get you to sleep."

"You're doing a very poor job of it."

"Shall I start reciting Shakespeare?"

Helen snorted quietly. "And my reply, again, will be to shoot you. I've had enough Shakespeare to last a lifetime, and your melodramatics are quite enough on their own without adding his words." It was her turn to shift, rolling them over so that she was straddling him, hands placed on the wiry muscle of his chest.

"Now who's the one doing the distracting?"

"Go to sleep, Nikola." She warned before falling back into the pillows on her side of the bed.

"I'm not allowed to." He said, snaking his arms back around her waist and pulling her close. Facing him, Helen rested her head in the crook of his neck.

"Why?"

"I've got to keep the nightmares away, now don't I?" Nikola smirked. Helen almost rolled her eyes.

"Far too romantic and cliché for your own good, aren't you?"

"I try." He murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"In that case you can tend to Sophia if she wakes up. I've had enough interruptions."

"How kind of you to grant me your permission to do so, your highness." Nikola pulled her even tighter to him as she let out a soft chuckle. "Go to sleep."

"Yes, sir."

Helen settled in and closed her eyes, trying to focus on Nikola's breathing and steady heartbeat beneath her fingertips. She started to count the beats, hoping it would lull her back to sleep, but the numbers started to turn into more evil things, threatening to overwhelm her once more. A frown tugged at her lips in her sleep as the nightmares loomed at the brink of her dreams, creeping closer upon her like some sort of thick fog. Perhaps there was something in her mind that was causing it all, even if the scans had shown nothing. She'd give them another go tomorrow if she had the time, though she wasn't entirely certain what she'd do if Adam had implanted something within her mind.

The thought revolted her in all ways possible, but she was half asleep already so the thoughts merely drifted away, stored in the back of her mind for when she awakened.

Naturally, however, proper sleep was far too good to be true and she was jerked from the borderline of unconsciousness by the sanctuary sending itself into lockdown, alarms blaring throughout the PA system in all directions. Helen bolted up from bed only a half a second behind Nikola, tugging on her robe. Her hand slipped beneath her pillow and grabbed her gun, all traces of sleep disappearing.

"See if you can find Henry and figure out what's going on. I'll get Sophia." Helen said, looking at Nikola. He nodded and darted out of the room, snatching up the tablet on the nightstand on the way out. Helen followed but turned left instead of right, reaching Sophia's room in a matter of footsteps.

Her door was sealed because of the lockdown, so she typed out the six digit code on the hidden number pad that allowed her access. The door swung open and she took two steps in before she paused, noting the window was open and the lacey pink curtains were wafting with the night breeze. Panic seized her chest as she practically flew to the baby's crib, relieved to find Sophia there, flailing a bit madly but otherwise unharmed. Her face screwed up as if she were about to cry, but Helen scooped her up and held her close.

"It's all right my darling. It'll be over soon." Helen murmured, balancing her daughter in one arm against her chest while the other still held the gun tight, prepared to fight off any who should come near. Still, the window being open was odd – it had been locked from the inside, and was stories up from the ground. There was no possible way anyone could have –

"You think you'd learn that you can't possibly keep me out forever, Helen."

The voice sent a dark chill racing up her spine as she turned, facing the tall man who lurked in the shadowy corner, looming and threatening as ever. He crept closer, a smirk briefly crossing his face.

"She's very pretty." John continued, nodding toward Sophia. "Was Ashley as pretty when she was born? I wouldn't know since you kept her from me." His words ended in a snarl. Helen raised her gun and pressed it to his chest as he drew too close, aiming for his heart.

"Don't tell me – you're working for Adam."

"Only for the time being, I'm afraid. He needed someone who could get in and out easier than he." John replied neutrally, gaze flickering from Helen to Sophia again. "You know what I've come for. Give her to me."

"Over my dead body." Helen snarled, cocking the gun and pressing it harder into his chest. He chuckled darkly.

"If only." John said. "Have it your way then, Helen. Always so difficult. Do you give your new lover this much trouble? I'm sure you and Tesla get along fantastically together if you're this stubborn still." He smirked and reached up, grabbing the wrist with the gun and twisting it quickly so that her shot embedded into the wall instead of his chest. Helen flinched in pain as John jerked her toward him before she could react. She twisted, but found it rather difficult with an infant in her arms. Sophia had started to fuss, on the verge of letting loose with her crying at any moment. Something wasn't right and she knew it, let alone the strange man trying to grab at her.

"Back off!" Helen snarled, elbowing him in the chest. John grunted and caught her arm again, twisting it and her around so that she was pinned to him, her back to his chest. He twisted her wrist further and the gun went clattering to the ground, allowing him to kick it away. Helen struggled against him but he held her in place, one hand slipping around to grab Sophia with a gentleness that she was not aware he was capable of any more. Once he had the child, he slammed Helen roughly back into the nearest wall.

"Say goodbye to mummy." John grinned down at Sophia, who had indeed started screaming. Helen gathered herself with a growl and launched forward toward him, but before her fingers could close around his coat he disappeared in a flash, leaving her alone in the room. Helen's chest clenched with a horrific tightness before she bolted from the room.

"Nikola!" She called, saying to hell with the elevator and taking the stairs. She ducked through barriers as they began to lift, the lockdown wearing off as she hurried through corridors. "Nikola!" His name came out more of a scream that time and Helen realized she was crying, chest heaving with something she had not felt in quite some time. She felt tears rolling down her cheeks, the water blurring her vision as she ran, bare feet hitting the carpet.

"Nikola!" Helen turned a corner and skidded to a halt, furrowing her brow when the hallway turned into something endless, almost like a dream. Her mouth opened in half shock.

"What's real and what's reality, hm?"

She whirled, watching Adam waltz toward her with an all-too-familiar smirk.

"What have you done to me?" She whispered, hands clenching into fists, prepared to strike. He chuckled.

"This is all your doing, Helen. Your thoughts, your worries, projected in your own dreams. Or nightmares, I should say. I've only helped them along, so to speak." Adam shrugged lightly. "I would have hoped you would have remained a bit calm during the process. You're quite hard to handle when you start fighting back."

Her brow furrowed further and she glanced around. A dream, was it? All of it? Her mind swam, a headache clustering at the back of her head.

"Process?" She asked, the only coherent question she could come up with at the time being.

"You can imagine how difficult it is to bring you to term and deliver a half vampire child, can't you? You've been under for quite some time while we've been working away. Your child is and will continue to be mine, Helen. You're hardly deserving of it when you took mine so harshly away from me." His demeanor suddenly changed to one of anger and he lunged at her, hand at her throat once more. He backed her up against the wall with a snarl, upper lip curling.

"When you wake up, it'll be gone. We'll be gone; off to have a lovely life where it'll know me as a father instead of that freak you call a vampire. You know what I'll tell it about its mother? She _died_. Because if you were anyone else, you would be. But I want you to _suffer_, to know what it's like – if you thought losing Ashley was bad, just wait, Helen. Just. _Wait_."

Confusion, pain, and rage swirled about her head. It felt so real, all of it – how could it be a dream? Helen wondered vaguely how to establish which was real and which was fake, and found she couldn't. Nothing to separate the real from the not real. After all, the only constant in all realms seemed to be Adam, and that was hardly anything to base assumptions from.

Her hands flew up to wrap around his hand, attempting to peel it away with a snarl of her own.

"Get your hands off me." Helen said, anger overcoming all other emotions for a moment as she managed to wedge her fingers beneath his against her throat and her leg came up, kneeing him in the groin. He recoiled and she took the opportunity to send him flying back into the opposite wall. First things first, find a way to wake up.

She broke off at a run, darting down a different hallway than the one that had turned endless, taking the stairs into lower levels. Perhaps the labs would help, or something in the enclosures.

Adam appeared suddenly in front of her with a face that easily showed he was furious with her. Helen took several steps back, rethinking, as he advanced again.

"You can't escape from me, Helen, even in your nightmares." Adam stated, continuing his advance toward her. Helen lashed out with a punch but he disappeared from view again, his laughter echoing around in her head.

A sharp pain suddenly ripped through her body that sent Helen doubling over in pain. She clutched at her torso as the world around her became another blur and nothing more, Adam's laughter fading out of her mind. Someone was screaming and it took her a moment to realize it was her own screams. Everything swirled together and Helen was left unaware, floating empty in a void, dying of whatever hellish pain was coursing through her –

- She jerked up, though whether it was into a proper reality or another nightmare, she wasn't entirely sure. There were several doctors around her and the pain continued to rip through her, particularly her lower half. Eyes wide, she tried to draw in deep breaths, but everything hurt. Doctors were saying things to her, gloved hands pressing down on her arms in an attempt to force her back down, but Helen fought them.

"Get your hands off me!" Helen jerked away from them, or attempted to. There were others holding tight to her legs, pinning her in place. She reached toward them, attempting to claw at them, but another ripple of pain sent her recoiling back against the pillows. It was then Helen realized she was in labor and she was in a hospital room, about to have a child. Fear and panic gripped her as her hands curled into fists among the sheets, the pain a constant presence now.

"You can't have her!" Helen stated, grinding her teeth together in a fury. Nurses on either side of her held tight to her arms, pinning her to the bed. They couldn't sedate her, not now, and while she'd assumed simply cutting her open would have been the best option, she guessed something had gone a bit awry according to Adam's plans.

"Calm down, sweetheart." A sickly voice said and her head snapped over to look at Adam, who was hovering beside one of the nurses. He reached over and grabbed her hand tightly, squeezing it, looking every part of a husband who was there to support his wife through labor. Helen's jaw clenched as she jerked her hand from him.

"Get away from me you pathetic bastard!" She snarled. Her entire world was ending, she was entirely sure. Her hair was plastered across her forehead with sweat, the hospital gown clinging in every possibly way to her skin. Everything was suddenly making her angry, even the color of the damned wall. Adam was saying something else to her, and the doctors around her seemed far too excited about something. Helen felt the pain suddenly lift and she let out a breath. She felt Adam's hand comb hair from her face, still playing the concerned father.

"Good job, Helen." He said, a glint of evil visible within his eyes as his lips quirked into a smile, the fakest one she had seen just yet. "She's beautiful."

"Stay away from her." She hissed furiously, but one of the nurses was returning to her side with a needle, injecting it into her IV line. Helen made to protest, but before she could formulate much of a response she was already slipping under again.


	10. Chapter 10

When Helen awoke, it was far less violently than before. It was bright, almost too bright, and she recoiled slightly from the light. Everything felt sluggish and odd, and for a moment Helen wondered if this was real or just another dream. She brought a hand up, scowling faintly at the sluggish feeling that had overcome her. Whatever drugs that had been pumped into her system were now starting to wear off, unfortunately, leaving her with a dull pain below her waist and a headache clustering at the back of her mind again. She was in the sanctuary infirmary, surprisingly, the surroundings thankfully familiar to her addled mind.

Shifting into a sitting position, she glanced down at her wrists, noting they seemed to be rubbed raw. Well, after her last time awake, Helen assumed she'd been restrained for whatever reasons. She rubbed briefly at them, before her mind flew to her child. She looked around, but there was no sign of the fact that she had just given birth, nor her daughter anywhere in sight. Her fists clenched into the sheets of the bed as she tried to clear her head, trying to decide if this was her own reality. It certainly felt real, but then again so had the other versions and surprisingly it had been all in her mind. Scowling, Helen fidgeted for another moment, debating if she should attempt to get out of bed and go in search of answers herself or wait – she was never very patient, including when it came to being stuck in a hospital bed.

She was saved from that, however, as the doors slid open and Nikola came striding in, staring down at a tablet in his hands, a brow creasing his face. He paused once he entered, focused on something else entirely until he glanced up and saw that she was indeed awake. He set the tablet aside and was beside her in an instant, face melting into relief as she reached for him.

"Please tell me you're real." She murmured, hugging him tightly and burying her face in the crook of his neck. He carefully maneuvered his arms around the wires and tubes connecting to her, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"I'm real, Helen. Promise." He said quietly, pulling away and resting his forehead against hers. "This is reality. You're home." He added. "We had to flush several drugs out of your system after we broke you out of the hospital – you had quite an eventful time while you were unconscious, my love."

"Where's the baby?"

His hand slipped down to rest against her abdomen, which she noted for the first time still held the same bump she remembered, which had grown slightly in size. Confusion and pain marred her face for a moment as she curled her fingers across his.

"I could have sworn . . . ." She trailed off, remembering the circle of doctors and Adam at her bedside. Another dream?

"It was all fake, Helen." Nikola said quietly. "After your accident Adam did get his hands on you and injected you with a cocktail of drugs." His fingers curled tighter around hers, rubbing his thumb gently across the back of her hand in comfort. "You were out for quite some time; the drugs backfired on him, as much as he hated to realize. It was meant to bring you to term faster, and instead it nearly made you miscarry. Thankfully, demon spawn is stronger than we first realized and managed to survive until we found you in one of the local hospitals and broke you out. Adam had left you near one because he couldn't chance keeping you wherever he did. As far as we can tell, both you and demon spawn are fine. Or at least nearly fine. We found abnormalities around the fetus but that could very well be a side-effect of it being a vampire and all. We've not found enough records yet referring to pregnancies like this to compare it –."

He'd started to ramble, so Helen leaned up to kiss him and silence him. His hand came up to cup her cheek and he leaned into his touch, assured for the time being that this was indeed her reality and nothing else. It felt right, at least, for once, compared to the other so 'realities' she had experienced. She pulled away from their kiss when the need for air became apparent and gave a faint smile.

"So we're back to where we started in not knowing where Adam is or what he's planning." Helen conceded quietly, still sitting up in bed. Nikola pulled away to pace near her bedside, leaving her to fold her hands in her lap, ignoring the way her IV tugged.

"Not entirely. Wolf-Boy's been tracing his activities – he hasn't exactly been quiet about his whereabouts now that you're not with him. It's like he wants to be found."

"Well, I'm certainly not playing bait again."

"I wouldn't let you. You're staying put here from now on, locked safely away." He looked back at her and continued before she could voice any protests. "We tried it your way, Helen, with you assisting, but I am _not_ taking that risk anymore."

Damn him and being right. Helen scowled silently to herself for a moment when he turned his back, despite the fact that she knew he was right. Again. Helen stared at where her hands were folded in her lap, at the IV running into her arm. She hated feeling so useless, but the panic she had felt over their child compared to nothing else, except for when she'd lost Ashley. Helen had no desire to have such worries, and if she was involved in any sort of way from here on out it would be likely that it would be easier for Adam to get a hold of her again – and Helen was quite sure his cocktail of drugs would not fail the next time. He was a brilliant scientist, one she knew to be very, very good at his work and who would make certain everything was perfect for the next round.

She swallowed, throat constricting tightly for a moment as she felt the need to cry, something she hadn't done in quite some time. Damned hormones. She lifted her head to look at Nikola who was still pacing.

"We named her Sophia." Helen said quietly and he looked back up at her, question on his face. "In my dreams. Nightmares. Whatever you call it." She continued. "We had a daughter and we named her Sophia."

"I thought you didn't like that name?" He inquired and she shrugged.

"I was out of it when we were discussing it and it seemed like a good idea at the time. It's grown on me, if you want to consider it." Helen said, now steering the conversation away. "But we also considered Olivia and Charlotte and Amelia -."

He laughed suddenly and Helen frowned slightly.

"What?"

"You've just woken up from quite the ordeal, you look as if you're about to break down at any moment, and you're discussing baby names." He stated, coming back toward her as she gave a watery chuckle.

"It's these hormones." Helen used as an excuse as he reached up to wipe away a tear that had escaped and begun to roll down her cheek. "I can't help it." She added. He sat on the edge of the bed and gathered her up in his arms, running his fingers through her hair and rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"We'll discuss all that business later. You need to finish recovering." Nikola muttered. "You've no idea how hard it's been putting up with Dr. Expendable and Heinrich without you. Not to mention the girl – all of the children have been very annoying since mummy up and disappeared. Now that you're back you can kindly take control of them again."

Helen smiled faintly to herself, snuggling closer to Nikola as she carefully avoided tugging on any of the wires connected to her body, monitoring her. With any luck she'd be able to convince him to let her leave the infirmary that night and just sleep in her own bed for the first time in a while. Not to mention she needed a damned good cup of tea to settle her nerves.

That night she found herself in her own bed, alone for the time being as Nikola met with Henry and Will about things – thing she was being kept out of the loop on. It annoyed her, partially, but the more rational part of her mind knew it was for the best. The more irrational part of mind, however, was starting to take over and regressing back into the odd nightmarish realities she had shuffled through in the past . . . whatever. The more she thought about it, the more upset it made her. She still wasn't confident that this was her reality. The others had seemed real, just as this one did.

When Nikola entered their room, he found Helen on the verge of tears again. She refused to look at him as he entered, instead much interested in her hands in her lap as she sat with her back resting up against pillows and the headboard. Nikola sat on the side of the bed, reaching for her hands.

"Helen," He began, sighing softly. "What's wrong, love?"

"I can't tell if any of this is real, if this is just another one of Adam's tricks. Not to mention I'm stressed about trying to find him, worried beyond reason about being a parent again, and my brain is trying to plug all of this into the same moment and same feeling and I feel like an utter wreck." She mumbled quickly, staring down at her hands encased in Nikola's. Her emotions were indeed a complete train wreck and after her entire ordeal, Helen wasn't exactly certain how to react with anything. Certainly she'd settle into her normal routine again, but how long would that last before Adam interfered again? Or she woke up in some new reality? The whole thought process was making her ill and she closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"I can't do this, Nikola. Any of this. I'm done."

His fingers tightened on her hands, brow furrowing. Reaching up, he tilted her head up to look at him, brushing away the few tears that had escaped.

"Helen, don't you dare start that." He warned. "You're stronger than this. Stronger than Adam. You can handle it, and I know you will because I've seen you do a hell of a lot tougher things." Nikola stated, reaching up to cup her face in his hands. "You're only thinking this because of those nightmares. After you get some rest and get settled back in, you'll be fine. And in a few months you'll have demon spawn in your arms to deal with, and you won't have the time to think about any of this that's happened."

Helen sighed heavily, nodding. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and enveloped her in a hug, letting Helen bury her face in his neck. She remained like that for a moment before she mumbled something against his skin. He furrowed his brow, pulling away.

"What was that?"

"I'm hungry for pineapple and pickles." She said, looking at him with pleading eyes that still shone with fresh tears. He chuckled.

"Stay here. I'll get them." He relented, kissing her once more before he left the room. Helen waited until he'd left before she pulled out her phone and began to dial, crawling off the bed. She still felt somewhat fuzzy, but her mind was running at full force. Rubbing her face to clear away the tears, she tucked the phone between her ear and shoulder.

Richard picked up on the third ring.

"_Helen_?" His voice was filled with sleep.

"I need a favor." She said, grabbing the bag from beneath the bed she had stuffed there earlier while Nikola hadn't been in the room. She threw it over her shoulder, pulling a note out of the side pocket and setting it on her pillow, Nikola's name scrawled across it.

"_What's wrong_?"

"How quickly can you meet me at the airport?"

_**Still with me?**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**I don't like this chapter. At all. I feel like I rushed it far too much and sort of copped out with the ending a bit. I just didn't want to go through - well, when you read you'll understand why I didn't want to type it all out, considering you've seen it all and the events played out just as they did on the show. I don't intend for this to be the end of the story - either another chapter, or just an epilogue, maybe. Perhaps a sequel story that I've been formulating plans about. **_

_**Enjoy, and don't hate me!**_

Helen stared out of the plane window, distracting herself with the clouds and water visible far below them. They were somewhere over the Atlantic, she'd discovered when she'd awakened from where she'd fallen asleep only minutes after their takeoff. The glass she had used to take medication was still on the small table before her, along with the shattered GPS chip from her cell phone, making certain she would be impossible to trace. Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and she looked over to see Richard sitting across from her, looking at her expectantly.

"What?"

"You never did tell me why you're running, Helen."

"It's safer for everyone this way." She replied simply, tiredness evident in her voice from where she'd just woken up. She was confident in her abilities to deal with Adam on her own - besides, the last thing Helen needed was him doing something else to the Sanctuary or anyone in it. Traveling abroad would lure him to her, hopefully, and she'd be free to dispose to him herself. Again. Perhaps this time he'd remain dead.

"Safer for you to get yourself killed." He muttered and Helen shot him a look.

"Thank you for at least doing this." Helen said after a long moment of silence and he nodded.

"Can I ask you something else?"

"You can, but I might not answer."

"When I first met you, your daughter wasn't any taller than my knee. You did a damned good job raising her with all the network nonsense you had to deal with, but I distinctly remember our conversations over having a permanent father figure around to watch over her. Now you have one for this kid, you're leaving him. Why?"

Helen studied him a long moment. He did have a point. Nikola was going to be a good father, Helen had faith in that. She would return, after Adam was dead and she was no longer frightened of simply being in her own home. But if something happened to her? Or far worse, demon spawn? She'd never forgive herself, and Nikola would probably hate her. He probably already did because of Helen disappearing as she had and ignoring the several times he'd already tried her cell phone.

"I'm the one Adam Worth is after, not him and not the rest of the Sanctuary. This is just something I have to deal with on my own." In the end, it had always been her and Adam. The cliffs, the abandoned warehouse - it'd always come down to them. They were equally matched in wits and strengths, but Adam had the advantage of going into blinding rages when he got angry, part of his split personality. Helen already had a bit of a plan in her mind on how she intended to bring him down.

"There's something else I need your help with." Helen said tentatively and he arched a brow at her. "I need you to help me find someone."

"Shouldn't be too hard." Richard shrugged. "Who?"

"John Druitt."

0 - 0 - 0

Nikola swirled the wine in his glass, glaring at it as he had been doing the past many hours, locked away in his lab. He hadn't left in three days, determined to find some way to track Helen down whether she liked it or not. This was not her decision to make on her own, and she knew it, yet she'd still simply disappeared. Henry had been trying everything in order to find her, but she'd disabled her GPS chip and anything else that could normally be used to find her location. Apparently she'd had the entire scheme planned out for quite a while.

Disgusted with things in general, Nikola's arm swept across his lab bench in a rage, sending all sorts of parts and inventions scattering across the floor with shrill noises, knocking everything away until there was nothing there but the smooth metal of the table. He even debated flinging it across the room, but why? Destroying his lab wouldn't help. Then again, neither would anything else.

A piece of paper that certainly hadn't been among his inventions before lay on top of the pile. He arched a brow, stooping to pick it up, prepared to scowl at whatever the HAP had left in his lab. He unfolded the parchment and scanned it once, blinking, before rereading it again. Without another moment's hesitation, he set his glass on the table and swept from the room.

Pressing the button for the lift repeatedly, willing it to come faster, he took it up to another floor, stalking down the obnoxiously long hallway, his mind running faster than it had in quite some time. He pushed open the door to their bedroom, pausing in the doorway.

And there she was, perched at her computer as if no time had passed. Helen smiled serenely.

"About time."

But this was not his Helen.

She wasn't pregnant, for one, and her hair looked a bit longer. She had that look in her eyes that told him she was hiding something, and behind that, it was as if more time had been hidden within the blue irises. She was positively radiant, it seemed, but for entirely different reasons that he couldn't place. His brow furrowed.

"It is me." Helen said, apparently reading his mind. Had she developed that in the past few days while she'd been gone. "In a sense. Just different than what you remember." She continued, standing. He stepped further into the room and shut the door. Without another word, he embraced this Helen anyway, pulling her into his arms. She fit perfectly, as always, and clung to him like a lifeline. She buried her face in the crook of his neck as he held her.

"You've been gone four days." He muttered into her hair. "You have explaining to do."

"I have more explaining to do than you think. For you it might have been four days." Helen said, lifting her head to look at him, silently willing him to understand. "For me it's been 113 years."

Confusion marred his face as he studied her. She merely stood there, patiently waiting for him to accept what she'd just said, likely so she could launch into an explanation about it.

"They've messed with your head again, haven't they?" Nikola inquired, bringing his hands up to rest on either side of her face. "Come on. We'll get you to the infirmary and -." She silenced him abruptly with a kiss. Not a normal kiss, either, but one he could practically feel emotion pouring out of her at every move of her lips against his. Almost immediately he kissed her back earnestly, her lips parting to allow him further access. Her hands wrapped up and around his neck, clinging to him as she continued to kiss him. He could feel it then, the need, the longing, and he knew without a doubt she had to have been telling the truth.

But 113 years? It didn't make any sense. That wasn't possible in any way, shape, or form.

Was it?

"I'll explain everything, I promise." Helen whispered when she pulled away to catch her breath. His forehead pressed against hers.

"Then start explaining." He muttered. She gave a soft laugh, reaching for his hands.

"Adam," She began, pulling away to sit on the edge of the bed. Nikola remained rooted to the spot, watching her. "He wasn't as idle as we thought. When I left here, I sought him out, with John's help - and before you say anything, it was utterly necessary." Helen said before Nikola had even opened his mouth to protest at it. He closed it and listened as she continued. "And we found him. In what was left of Hollow Earth."

"What was left?"

"Adam had destroyed it with the Praxian device he'd rebuilt. He intended to go back in time with it and save his daughter - after he'd taken ours. When he opened the portal, I went with him. I stopped him from screwing up the future and have lived the past 113 years trying to interfere with my 'other self' as it were. It was quite difficult, knowing I couldn't do things like stop the war and save Ashley."

Nikola blinked.

"That is . . . a very vague recap. I wanted details, Helen."

"In time, Nikola. I'm far too tired to tell the entire thing tonight." She shook her head.

"And the baby?" He inquired, as if suddenly remembering the situation that had gotten them into this mess in the first place. Helen smiled.

"Clearly I had to do something. I took the idea from the one we'd come up with for Ashley's embryo - except our daughter was far too developed to remove, so I had to freeze my womb for quite some time. And let me tell you - being pregnant for that amount of time is utterly horrific." Helen said, chuckling. "She was born nearly a month ago, and is safe and healthy and utterly perfect. I kept the name Sophia; I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. Where is she?"

"In a wonderful place." If possible, Helen's smile grew brighter. "I wasn't idle those years. Tomorrow morning, I'll show you - I need a bit of help putting the final touches on it, anyway. But you must understand, Nikola, that no one else is to know. Not Will, nor Henry - no one." Helen grew serious a moment. "I've been planning this move for a while now and I can't chance anything messing it up, especially the way things are progressing now."

He nodded again. His mind was foggy as he tried to compute all of this information spilling forward from Helen, who was telling him as if this were any normal sort of conversation. She'd gone back in time for 113 years for Christ's sake. How was he to accept that? And their daughter? His mind was starting to overload. Helen seemed to sense this, for she reached forward, catching his hands again.

"We don't have to worry about it tonight. Everything will make sense in the morning and you'll understand. For tonight, I just want to stay here - with you. I haven't seen you in quite some time, after all." She gave a meager smile. Nikola shook his head at her.

"Sometimes I wonder how I put up with you, woman." He muttered and it earned him a bit of a laugh from her. He bent down to capture her lips in another kiss, pressing her back against the bed. She responded almost immediately, body arching up against his. He heard her heels hit the ground as she sat up on her elbows, kissing him back with a ferocity he'd never seen from her before. It was surreal, and part of him wondered if he'd wake up in the morning with her still missing. After all, his brain did have a tendency to come up odd sort of things to cope - time travel could be one of them, invented to cope with Helen disappearing on him.

"Stop thinking." Helen whispered, lips near his earlobe as she trailed kisses along his neck, nibbling at the skin there. All coherent thoughts flew out the window then as Helen showed him just how much she'd missed him in 113 years.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Wow. So I've had this sitting on my computer for forever and I thought I posted it, but apparently not. Enjoy this little epilogue thing I wrote to act as the end of this little story. It's short, and I apologize. I apologize for the odd quality of this story too, but it was one of my very first Teslen fics. I might rewrite it one day! Thanks for hanging in there!**_

Things settled, finally, falling into place as Helen had planned and as they should have. A wonderful feeling of peace and freedom had settled across her mind, feeling better than she had in ages. It was as if a giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders – the paradise of the New Sanctuary was a home for all, and it had quickly become all the more wonderful the longer time she spent amidst it and the abnormals now residing there. Several ventured back and forth between the Sanctuary and Hollow Earth, helping in rebuilding the once gleaming city to its former glory. Things were coming together better than what she ever could have planned.

However, there was also a much smaller reason that a smile never seemed to leave Helen's face in the most recent of days.

Her hands curled around the smooth, dark, antique wood, warmed from where the sun had been shining on it all day through the arching windows of the room. She smiled, remembering some years ago when a different child had been housed in the safety of the crib, encased in the pink cotton sheets with not a care or fear in the world. The child that now lay in the sheets was just as careless and fearless, with eyes that already told Helen she would live to take on the world and unravel more of its mysteries, bringing sanctuary to all those who needed.

She hummed a lullaby softly, attempting to lull her daughter into sleep for the night, but she was quite persistent on remaining awake. Her eyelids would drop for a moment, then snap back open to stare at Helen with bright blue irises. Helen rested her hand gently against the child's chest, feeling her rhythmic heartbeat fluttering on her palm.

"You've not idea how truly special you are, little one." Helen murmured quietly, much aware that Sophia could not understand her. She continued anyway. "You're well protected here. Nothing will ever hurt you, I promise." She said softly, running her thumb gently across the curve of her daughter's cheek.

Her greatest love, her entire world, lie just beneath her hand. While she was no replacement for the daughter she had lost, Sophia had healed part of the hurt Helen had carried for so long. Things would be different this time, certainly. While she didn't often believe it was real, she had earned a second chance to be a mother and was determined not to let this chance go.

"Seems to hate sleep just as much as her mother."

Helen looked over to her second greatest love as he strode into the room in his usual cocky manner. She smiled faintly as he moved to stand on the opposite side of the crib she was already leaning against.

"I don't hate sleep. I just don't have the time for it." Helen replied, looking back down at Sophia. "She's just restless tonight for some reason."

"Probably because she's missed her father and is making up for lost time." Nikola said, smirking ever so faintly. He did have a point – she had kept her from him for quite some time, and now she seemed to be well adapted to having her father there – and he was hopelessly already wrapped around her little finger. She couldn't stand to be away from him long.

"Good thing you're staying then, isn't it?"

Her statement seemed to finally sate Sophia long enough as she began to calm down. Her limbs ceased their flailing, at least, and she stopped wriggling. She was more like her father than Helen cared to admit, she knew, which would undoubtedly be a problem when she grew older. For now, however, she was simply the blue eyed, curly haired, pale skinned daughter of two immortals who happened to have a paradise of creatures that didn't exist.

"Big day tomorrow, little one. Sleep." Nikola said, running his fingers gently through her fuzzy dark curls. Sophia gave a bit of a wide-mouthed yawn, as if the promise of a big day tomorrow already made her simply exhausted. Helen smiled and leaned back a bit, seeing as Nikola clearly had this handled. She'd always loved watching him interact with Sophia, since he'd been introduced to his daughter. His movements were so careful, so planned, and so precise so as to avoid hurting her in any way, shape, or form. If it wasn't so endearing, it would be amusing, really. But Helen knew he'd never had the experience of being a parent in the same way she had. Certainly she was learning a few new things, yes, but Nikola was new to it all.

She'd watched him accept it all easily enough, though and was quite grateful she had him there as an extra support. Yes, he's retained his usual snark about things, but he was helpful with Sophia and did his duty of being a father as well as could be expected and more. It had merely opened up a new side of him.

Although, Helen couldn't help but feel as if he deserved it. After countless lifetimes, he had put up with quite a bit, especially from herself. He'd spent years digging ditches, years being one of the most favored geniuses of all time, and years pretending to be dead. He'd had a far more harsh life than Helen had in some aspects, but this one little thing had put something of a light in his eyes that Helen had never seen before. She could identify it now, the little spark that remained there on a constant basis now.

Happiness.

It never failed to make her smile.

"What are you staring at?" Nikola inquired, glancing over at her as he traced circles across Sophia's chest and stomach, attempting to lull her to sleep now. She was beginning to relent, eyelids dropping and another yawn escaping her pink lips. Helen smiled, caught.

"Nothing in particular." She said. "Just thinking."

"A dangerous pastime, knowing you."

She chuckled softly, shaking her head. After everything, the dust had settled and they had returned to their usual banter with one another.

"It's nothing." Helen replied, looking back to their daughter. Sophia yawned again, lips parted briefly before she settled again, chest beginning a different pattern in rising and falling as she began to fall asleep, breathing shifting into something far more softer and steadier. How long it would last, Helen had no idea – it varied with her on the best of nights.

"I'll never understand how you put her to sleep after I've tried to hours." Helen murmured quietly, reaching over to turn on the nightlight.

"Clearly I'm the favored parent of our demon spawn. Not so demonic now, though."

"Some days I wouldn't doubt it. And just wait until she's older."

"No dating until she's thirty."

"Nikola."

"Fine. Forty-five."


End file.
